Visions
by I am a Ridaa
Summary: It all started with a spider. For once, Ludo actually has a good enough plan that might get him the wand he desires. But in result to that, Marco has been having dreams. Very dangerous, powerful dreams that have been influencing him very strongly. It's all up to Star to get her friend back. ((This story is better than it looks trust me))
1. A Bad Day and A Little Attack

**Chapter 1: A Bad Day and a Little Attack**

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 **I'm supposed to be working on my Penn Zero fic, but I can't help starting this first! I'm absolutely** _ **in love**_ **with Starco and absolutely** _ **want**_ **them to get together! At the same place where I get all my crazy ideas (coughmysleepcough), this was one of the craziest ones yet! It might hurt to write every chapter, but I'll do it! I just really hope I get some readers out there this time :)**

 **If you're reading this right now, I hope you like this story! I'm working really hard on it! Also, I hope that you'll continue to support this story until it ends. This all I ask! Enjoy the chapter!**

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You would think that in an ordinary backyard like the Diaz's, nothing outlandishly strange would be happening there.

But now it has almost become a daily routine for Star and Marco to be fighting Ludo and his minions every other morning.

" _Get that wand!"_ Ludo shrieked.

" _Rainbow Fist Punch!"_ Star shouted cheerfully, the said spell attacking a bunch of his goons.

" _H-yah!"_ Marco cried out, karate-punching/kicking/chopping them in the matter.

" _Narwhal Blast!"_

" _Take this!"_

This continued on for about twelve more minutes.

" _Mega Ultra Butterfly Shockwave!"_

And that was the grand finale to bring down all of his goons at once.

"Not again!" Ludo screeched, kicking one of his goons repeatedly.

"Face it, Ludo," Star bent and gloated at him. "You're never going to be taking this wand!"

"One day, Star Butterfly! Just you wait! I promise I _will!"_ All his goons got back into the portal, and he was still walking out, glaring at them.

Marco sighed. "Well that was—"

" _One day!"_

The duo paused and waited for him to really leave. "…Well that was no different from what we usually do."

"Yeah~" Star sang out. "We make a great team!"

Marco high-fived her. "Well, I guess that's enough for tod— _OH we're gonna miss the bus!"_

Star screamed a little bit. "And I'm a mess! OK, don't worry we can get a whole fixing-up together in less than..."

"Five minutes.

" _Let's go!"_

As the duo raced into the room, they didn't notice that a small portal was being cut up back in the backyard. Through it, a small, blue and red spider with fangs and horns crawled through. It softly sniffed the air, picked up a scent, and started following Star and Marco into their home.

While they were rapidly getting dressed, the spider seemed to have a hard time finding which bags were theirs. "Hurry up, Star!" it heard a voice call. The spider had no choice but to go for the bag on the left.

Once they were finally ready, Star and Marco raced down the stairs, grabbing their bags and heading outside. Unfortunately, the bus was just about to get on leaving.

"Wait!" Marco shouted, running after it. But the engine was too loud for the driver to hear his screams. The bus drove right off, as if wanting to get away from the two. The boy groaned. "Great! Now we're gonna be late for school."

Star hesitated but then lit up, laughing. "We don't need the bus, Marco! We have magic~" Bringing out her wand, she raised it in the air, grinning as she cast her spell.

"Whoa, hey Star, be careful, you still don't—"

" _Speedy Bunny Rocket Blast!"_

The two were suddenly lifted up into the air and they were blasting straight for the bus like a rocket, bunnies coming out behind them. They were so fast, that they even passed it, and were heading straight for school. The little spider in the bag had no idea what was going on but it wanted to get out now. Since the blast controls itself, Star couldn't stop it. Marco was screaming now.

" _Break break break break!"_

They only stopped once they burst right through the school wall and landing by their lockers.

Star stood right up, unfazed, as she squealed in delight. "Wasn't that fun?"

"I think I broke a bone," Marco croaked out.

Everyone in the hall was staring at them, some whispering. Then they all burst out laughing at Marco's misery.

"Really?! Is laughing at someone's pain really that funny?!"

They only stopped when the bell rang.

"On the plus side, we made it!" Star sang. "And just in time for class! Gym's next, right~?"

Marco managed to stand up, straightening his back as he moaned in pain. "Almost makes me wish we were late."

Once the spider recovered from the blast, it was ready to get biting. But once it got out of the bag it still didn't know who it belonged to, it was surprised to see children lining up, facing each other as they started to pick up big red balls.

"You know the rules," the coach said boredly. "Last one standing wins."

It was game on. Everyone started throwing the balls at each other, and they kept hitting a person on the other side. The spider was in trouble now. It had to find his victim.

But it was struggling. Every time it tried getting to the other side of the court, a ball would end up bouncing on it. Another one came and it stuck right to it. If it wasn't so noisy, you could probably hear its little shrieking.

Marco was practically at the corner of the gym, wearing his helmet, and scared out of his wits. Dodgeball was not his sport. It was almost as dangerous to him as fighting monsters was. And that was saying something. He could never tell where the next ball would be, so all he could do was dodge, run, and hide.

Meanwhile, Star was having the time of her life. She was dodging balls perfectly, catching them and throwing them back as if she was used to this. Despite it being her first time playing. "Whee!" she squealed, jumping in the air. "Come on, Marco, come play!"

"I'd think I'd rather go back to fighting Ludo!" he shouted, ducking from yet another ball.

"Aww, but this is so much _fun!"_ She jumped from another ball again.

"No! I don't wanna—" That very ball hit Marco straight in the face.

"You're out!" someone yelled. Everyone in the gym laughed at him.

Star flinched a bit, as if feeling Marco's pain and bent to help him up. "Sorry 'bout that, Marco."

"This is why I hate dodgeball," he groaned. "I guess I'll hit the showers now…"

"Make sure you keep your helmet on, Safe Kid!" That received some giggles.

"It's for self-confidence!" he shouted back. Angry, he stomped his way out of the gym.

Star could only frown as she watched her friend leave. But that quickly subsided when she ducked from another ball. "I saw that!" she giggled, throwing one back.

Unfortunately for the spider, it couldn't get out of the game until it stopped. So it was more than relieved to hear the bell ring. But once it crawled back to the bag, it was even more nauseous. So it just sat there, at the bottom of the bag, tired, unable to move, and passed out.

The day carried on and it was lunchtime. Star met up with Marco at their usual lunch table, and he was looking pretty blue. "Hey, Marco," she called. "You OK?"

"Yeah, I guess," he sighed. "This morning was pretty bad, but I'm sure the rest of the day will turn out all right."

"Of course it will! Great job looking on the bright side!" She lightly punched his shoulder and the boy had to smile.

"At least it can't get any worse than this."

He shouldn't have spoken. The spider seemed to have recovered just at that moment. It was going around the cafeteria floor and secretly jumping on cafeteria tables and people's heads, looking for Star and Marco. It practically lit up when it finally found them. It was about to crawl right up to them when—

"Tarantula!" someone shrieked. Suddenly, everyone at the cheerleader's table started shrieking. Everyone turned to them, confused.

"Keep it away! I'm too pretty to get bitten!" Brittney Wong screeched. She threw some of her yogurt at it, hoping to kill it.

But the spider just jumped away. Instead, it landed at the quarterback's head.

Everyone gasped, thinking he'd get mad or something. But the guy only smirked evilly, picked his pie up and shouted, _"Food fight!"_

It was like a war all over again. Salads, mystery meat, desserts were flying around the room. Everyone was laughing, throwing their food around at each other, making a real big mess. Most people seemed to be dodging the flying cuisines. But Star and Marco completely unexpected the entire situation.

"Hey!" Marco tried shouting as he stood. "Stop that! Someone could get hur—" Unfortunately for him, an entire cake ended up falling on his head.

Everyone paused just to stare and gasp. And then they all burst out laughing.

By now, all Marco could do was keep an infuriated expression. Star flinched but she dipped her finger in his cake-covered hair and tried for a smile. "Chocolate."

"Gah!" Marco held his head in frustration. "It's like Bad Picture Day all over again! I'm sick of everyone laughing at me! I'm going home early, Star. If anyone asks, I got diarrhea."

"But, Marco—" Star tried calling, but she was only ignored. The boy had fled the cafeteria, looking even angrier than he was back at dodgeball. "Oh, narwhals…"

Meanwhile, the spider couldn't take all of the school nonsense anymore. It frantically left the cafeteria and found its way back to the bag. It just stayed there, shivering, and refused to come out until it knew the day would finally be over.

Marco had already packed his stuff up and was walking home. He managed to get some of the cake out of his hair, but he needed a real home shower. But the more he neared his house, the more he thought about school walls, red balls, and flying food. He reached home with an aggravated face.

"You're home early, Marco!" his mother noted as she came to greet him. "What happened to your hair?"

"It's a long story, Mom," the boy grumbled. "I'll be in my room, OK?"

"Well, if you need anything, just call~!"

Marco ignored her as he stomped up to his room. He set his bag down and started undressing. He quickly laid out some clothes and hopped into the shower.

Now, the spider knew the coast was all clear. It got out of the bag and looked around the room. It looked a little too boyish for it to be Star's room. But it found a piece of red clothing and decided to crawl through it. It could just bite whomever it belonged to….

Once Marco got out of the shower, he felt refreshed. He sighed as he dried his hair and started dressing up again. "At least I have the day to myself now…and nothing else could possibly go wrong…"

He should seriously stop talking. Marco was just fixing his hoodie when he saw a lump on his sleeve. Suddenly, he felt it moving. His eyes widened when he saw the blue and red spider. He stared at it for a while and it stared back. Then the spider bared its fangs and sunk them into his hand.

That's when Marco let out the most blood-curling scream.

The pain was almost unbearable. It stung so much, almost like honeybees, needles, and acupuncture points had combined and decided to poke his hand. He shook the spider right off and fell to the ground, yelling in pain, as the spider tried to crawl away.

But the boy wouldn't let it. He grabbed a nearby jar from his desk and slammed it over the spider. Its tiny little head hit the glass and continued doing so. But Marco trapped it now. "Gotcha!"

Still gritting his teeth from the pain, Marco examined the little arachnid. "What the…" It wasn't like any spider he'd seen before. It was definitely not something he'd think would come to his house just to bite him.

Then the boy started to panic. He'd just got bitten! What if it was poisonous? Or deadly? Or worse?

Marco tried to reason himself. _'Calm down, Diaz. Just because it's really big, in a really weird color and looks really creepy doesn't mean it's a bad thing!'_

He _really_ needed to stop talking.

The boy spent the rest of the afternoon researching on the Internet to see if he could find some information about the spider that bit him. But he never got a good match. By the end of the day, he ended up with zero results.

He leaned back in his chair, sighing. This was just a waste of his time.

"Marco~ I'm home!"

The brunette turned to find Star bursting through his door, a grin on her face. "You feeling a little better~?"

"Uh, yeah," he muttered, trying for a smile. "I'm good, thanks."

Then the girl noticed the spider on his desk and gasped as she picked the jar up. "It's so cute! For a spider!" she gushed. The spider only hisses loudly at her, but Star didn't notice.

Marco suddenly lit up when a thought crossed his mind. "Uh, yeah… Do you, maybe, kind of, know what kind of spider it is?"

"Hmmm…" Star inspected the jar all detective-like. "Nope! But I _do_ know it's a spider from another dimension! I can check with my mom tomorrow if you'd like!"

"That would be good," Marco agreed. "It's kinda worrying me out. It just bit me a little while ago."

Star gasped. "And you didn't grow an arm or lose an eye of change your form at any sort?!"

Marco stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Star merely shrugged. "I guess I sort of heard bad news about dimensional spider bites. But don't let it get to you! This little thing might probably won't mean any harm! Nothing to worry about!"

But that only made Marco worry more.

"'Kay, so your Mom said it's time for dinner! Last one there is Ludo's minion!"

That _did_ get Marco's mind off the spider for a moment. But then it haunted him again once night fell and it was ready for bed.

Marco got into the covers and glanced at the spider on his desk. It caught his eyes and bared its fangs again. The boy quickly turned away. He certainly wasn't going to have a good night.

But then it started.

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 **How was the first chapter? I admit it might suck a bit but the storyline I have in mind is going to be amazing! That is, if things go the way I plan it to be. I hope you guys like it! Please be sure to leave a review to tell me what you think! :) See you in the next chapter!**


	2. First Dream

**Chapter 2: First Dream**

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 **Y-You guys moved me. Thank you to all those first 8 who reviewed and to those who favorited and followed. It** **'** **s a small amount but I** **'** **ll take it :** **'** **) I decided to work on Chapter 2 right away, even if it meant fighting my twin brother for the computer (lol doesn** **'** **t seem like much of a sacrifice xD) Anyway, thanks again, hope you enjoy, and see you next time!**

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 _You would think that it would be completely normal to find yourself in your own dream. That's what Marco thought. Most people dreamt of themselves, right? So he just relaxed and enjoyed the show._

 _The first thing that he noticed was that there were no sounds. He first saw himself walking up to Star in the kitchen, who waved at him cheerfully. She said something, and then brought her wand out. She cast a spell, and suddenly the entire room was covered with cereal and flooded with milk. Star cast another spell and most of it disappeared. She let out a laugh and leaned on the counter, but that resulted to her slipping on it. She was saved from the fall by her elbow landing in her bowl and getting stuck in it. She and Marco stared for a moment before bursting out into peals of laughter._

 _Some scenes started to pass by. Star and Marco going into the bus, riding it to school. Marco was looking pretty worried about something When they got out, Marco saw something, yelped, and dragged Star down, saving themselves from a pie that whizzed past. Marco's archenemy, Jeremy Birnbaum was shown, laughing as he emerged from a bush._

 _The scenes passed again. Marco in class, receiving a test, eating at the cafeteria, having more classes. Until it was finally the end of the day, and Marco saw Jackie Lynn Thomas. (aka "the love of his life)_ _She was riding her skateboard as usual, but then she thought it would be a good idea to skate down the stairs. It wasn't. She ended up flying off the railings and was screaming. Lucky for her, Marco saw and was there to catch her, bridal style. She looked at her savior, said something, and smiled._

 _Instead of yesterday's laughing, people were praising him and cheering. He got the recognition he deserved, and Marco couldn't stop smiling._

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But then he had to wake up. Marco's eyes opened wide and he sat up in his bed.

"Whoa," he muttered, his mouth slowly widening to a grin. "That was an awesome dream!"

He couldn't stop grinning about his dream now. He could almost say it was one of the best ones he'd ever had. Marco sighed at the thought of Jackie talking to him.

Suddenly, he felt snickering and turned to his desk. The spider in the jar seemed to be smirking at him evilly. That gave Marco the creeps. It's almost as if it knew something he didn't. He rubbed his right hand instinctively, where the spider bite lay.

The boy decided it would be no use worrying about it now.

Once Marco got dressed, he headed downstairs. Star was already in the kitchen, humming as she brought two bowls out. Once she saw Marco, she grinned and waved. "'Morning, Marco! Who's ready for their power breakfast?!"

"Hey, Star," the boy called, eyeing the bowls. "Let me guess. Cereals and milk?"

"Uh-huh!"

"You do know you have to actually put in the cereal and milk, right?"

"Yep! This is where the best part comes in!" She then brought her royal wand out, raising it high up in the air. _"_ _Rainbow Cereal Overload Surprise!_ _"_

Before Marco could stop her, a burst of colorful circular cereals mixed in with milk came gushing out of the wand. The term "overload" was certainly evitable, because the breakfast food started overflowing the kitchen, burying the duo underneath it.

"…Uh, Star?"

"Whoops! I'll fix that! _Rainbow Underload!_ _"_

Some of the cereal disappeared, but there were still some left in the bowls. Star smiled proudly, tossing her wand. "See? I told you I could do it!"

She went and placed a hand on the counter, leaning on it, but then it slipped on some milk. Luckily, her cereal bowl saved her as her elbow got stuck in it.

Marco couldn't help it. He burst out into peals of laughter. Thinking of the fact she made her best friend smile, Star laughed with him.

But then, the boy stopped and hesitated. _'_ _Is it me, or am I experiencing_ _déjà vu_ _?_ _'_ he thought to himself. This exact moment is just like one he'd seen in his dream. Was it a coincidence? Probably.

Should he tell Star? _'_ _Maybe this isn_ _'_ _t really much of a big deal._ _'_

"Marco? Hey, Maaaarcoooo?"

That's when the boy noticed he'd zoned out. He quickly shook his head. "Huh? What?"

"You OK?" Star asked.

"Uh, oh yeah, sure! Of course. Hey, Star, we should probably get ready for the bust this time…"

"Not until your bowl is clean~"

When Star was serious, she was serious. Marco rolled his eyes playfully at his friend's antics, but he proceeded taking spoonfuls of her cereal, eating wholeheartedly.

Lucky for them, they did catch the bus this time. But the closer they reached school, the more Marco thought. He got this bad feeling in his chest that something was going to happen. Rubbing his spider bite again didn't seem to calm him. When they finally arrived, Marco heard a rustling in the bushes.

"Star…do you hear something?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she replied. "I hear a lot of things! The wind, the bus, the birds, the people—"

"Not that!" Marco's eyes widened when he saw someone come out of the leaves. And he had a pie in his hand. "Watch out!"

He grabbed Star and they both ducked down. The pie went flying over their heads…and landed on Principal Skeeves' head with a _splat._ Everyone around them gasped.

"I also hear that!" Star piped.

" _Who threw this?!_ _"_ the Principal bellowed.

Marco turned to the bushes and found his arch-nemesis, Jeremy, emerge from it. And he was laughing. "Thought you'd like a second dessert from yesterday's lunch, Diaz!' Unfortunately for him, when he finally saw where his aim ended up targeting, he paused and his eyes widened. "Oops."

" _Jeremy Birnbaum!_ Not you again! To my office! Now!"

Everyone started laughing at Jeremy's misery while he could only glare. "You are all on my Hate list!" he screamed.

"Next time," Marco smirked, crossing his arms. "It'd be better if you looked before you shot. Or better yet, leave the throwing to the big guys." Jeremy gave him a deathly look, mumbled something about telling his parents, and followed the Principal to his punishment.

"Wow, Marco!" Star beamed as she turned to the boy. "You saved us! How'd you know Jeremy was going to prank you?"

"Lucky guess?" Marco grinned as they walked to class.

But it wasn't just luck. His dream had predicted another moment to happen today. He may not have seen Skeeves coming into the picture, but he did see Jeremy's attempts. It couldn't be a coincidence anymore.

' _Don_ _'_ _t get too cocky, Diaz,_ _'_ Marco thought again. _'_ _The day had just started._ _'_

It was only a matter of time until lunch. And a longer time until the end of the day. Where he would – or would not – catch Jackie.

The first few periods passed and Marco grew wary. He aced a science test and that was good, but didn't he have a scene in his dream wherein he got a perfect score? He was starting to question what was part of the dream or not, because he almost sworn he knew there was going to be homework (but then again, isn't there _always_ homework?) This was all becoming too _much_ of a coincidence. Marco rubbed his spider bite again instinctively. That always seemed to calm him now…

Lunch finally came and he could talk to Star properly. They met at their usual table, where Star seemed to have brought her own lunch.

"Look, Marco!" she said, taking a bowl and a carton of milk out of her paper bag. "I was able to save some of our breakfast and have it for today's lunch! It's a lunchfast!"

Marco's face broke into a smile. "I think you mean brunch."

"That works too!"

"Star, I need to talk to you about something."

"If this is about all that doodling I did in your notebook, I just want to say I'm sorry."

"What? What doodling?"

"…On second thought, it wasn't me! What's up?"

"I had a dream last night…"

"I had a dream too! You were there, I was there, Ludo was there—"

"Are you sure this isn't about yesterday morning?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Star, this is serious!" Marco sighed. "Last night, I had a dream about everything that was going to happen today. The cereal, Jeremy's prank—"

Star gasped. "The text message I accidentally sent to Jackie telling her she's cute from your phone?"

" _What?!_ _"_

"Again, not me! So you know everything that's going to happen today?"

"I guess so…"

"Perfect! What am I going to do now?!"

Marco frowned. "I know stuff, but not _everything._ _"_

"Come on! Guess."

The boy rolled his eyes. "OK then. Talk?"

"Wow, you are good!"

"Star, listen. Later on, Jackie is going to be falling off the stairs. If I catch her, then that's proof enough for me."

"Don't worry, Marco! I'm totally here to support you! I've got your back! And if all goes wrong, we still have the wand~"

"I think I'd feel safer _without_ it."

The hours went by and the classes passed by one-by-one. Marco was especially eager to get out of the room. Once the bell rang, he and Star were past the door before the teacher knew it.

"I still wonder how all this happened, though," Marco wondered as they walked. "I mean, why did this suddenly happen?"

"Still, it's really cool, right?" Star grinned. "To be able to learn the future, to be able to know what happens next?"

"I guess so…I sure hope this works."

"Even if it doesn't, look on the bright side! There's always a yesterday!

"…I think you mean tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah, that's what I meant!" Marco rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, on the upper floor, Jackie was skating across the halls. She zoomed past shouting teachers and was heading for the stairs. Before anyone could stop her, she jumped, and started skating on the railing.

Anyone who saw started cheering. The moment Marco turned around, Jackie skated off it. But in result, her feet left the skateboard.

Everyone gasped as Jackie went flying. She was screaming, and it was hard for her to keep her cool now. Unfortunately for Marco, at the time when he should be springing into action, he was frozen in place. All he could do was stare in horror as he watched Jackie fall.

" _Marco, catch her!_ _"_ Star gave Marco one big push, causing him to him to lean forward.

"Whoa!" The moment he did that, Jackie landed right in his arms.

Just like in his dream.

"Marco, you caught me," Jackie noted slowly. But then she smiled. "Thanks."

The boy blushed profusely. He was flustered, but he managed a smile back. "Maybe next time, it'd be best to take the stairs."

" _Three cheers for the Safe Kid!_ _"_

Everyone clapped and hooted as Marco set Jackie down. He was grinning like an idiot. It was true then.

His dreams were real.

On the walk home, Marco was practically giddy with excitement. "Did you see that?" he exclaimed. "My dream was right! I caught Jackie! I mean, you helped a bit, Star, but it was right, right?"

"Good for you, Marco!" Star beamed. "Now you know what to expect now!"

"You really saved me back there, Star," Marco laughed. "I just wish I knew how this all started…."

The girl hesitated for a moment before gasping. "Marco! The spider! It must have something to do with it!"

Marco slapped his forehead, also gasping. "You're right! It all began because that spider bit me! But what kind of spiders gives you futuristic dreams?"

"Like I promised, I'll go check in with my mom later on mirror. She might know something!"

And they did get home. Marco entered his room to get the arachnid. It was still sitting in its jar, appearing to be sleeping. But when he saw Marco, it hissed. The boy shuddered and tried not to be bothered by it as he handed it over to Star.

She cleared her throat as she held the spider jar behind her. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Call Mom."

" _Calling Mom_ _…"_

Almost instantly, Queen Butterfly appeared on the glass, smiling at her daughter. "Hello, Star," she greeted. "Is everything well on Earth?"

"Yup! Things are pretty chill, Mom!"

"You haven't been causing trouble have y—"

"No!"

"Good. Is there a reason behind your summons?"

"Uh, yeah! I was wondering…do you have any idea what this spider is?"

Star brought the spider jar out. In it, the little arachnid hissed. Queen Butterfly gasped in horror. "Put that thing away, Star Butterfly!"

"But, Mom—"

"Keep that devil away now!"

Star's eyes widened as she handed the jar back to Marco. "So, it's a devil?"

"No, not really, but it should be considered! One bite from him and you start to have visions!"

"I know! It's awesome!" Marco piped in. Then he cleared his throat. "Your Highness."

"No, _not_ awesome." The Queen turned to her daughter sternly. "You have better dispose of that thing immediately. Make sure it never bites anyone!"

"But what about Marco?" Star protested.

"He's lucky the effects wear off within a week. But one more nip, and the visions will get worse. Mark my words! He will get what's coming to him." The duo could only exchange nervous glances. "Ta-ta, my darling."

With that, she hung up.

Star rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I guess we better kill it then."

"The effects wear off…?" Marco muttered.

Taking the jar back and placing it on the floor, she took her wand out. "Goodbye, little devil! _Rainbow Bl—_ _"_

"Star, wait!" Marco quickly took the jar and practically hugged it to his chest. "You can't kill it!"

"Why not? My mom just said so."

"W-Well…technically, she just said 'dispose' of it, right? And it doesn't always mean 'kill'! She could mean, 'throw away' or…something."

Star hesitated, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

"If you lend me the dimensional scissors, I can just 'dispose' of it in another dimension. What do you say?" Marco held his hand out, forcing a smile.

Star was still hesitating, but then she smiled. "OK! Just be careful with them~ They're Flying Pony Head's!"

For once, Marco thanked the stars she was so oblivious. He took the scissors from her and smiled. "Thanks!" He then barged into his room, slamming the door.

But the boy wasn't planning on throwing it anywhere. He cut himself a portal and looked back to see if Star was watching. When she wasn't, he threw an empty glass jar through it. He could hear it shattering against the floor on the other side.

Once the portal closed, Marco turned to the spider, who was looking at him innocently. "You're just lucky I plan to keep you." Without another word, he turned and left.

He couldn't see the spider snickering.

"All cleared of," Marco lied, giving Star a thumbs-up.

Star smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look on the bright side, Marco! You still have six more days of this!"

Marco lit up. "Yeah…you're right."

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 **I really hope this was good enough. Please leave a review to tell me so! If you have any suggestions, feel free to say something! (just no hates please :3) I** **'** **ll do my best to update as fast as I can! And I promise, Starco scenes will appear! This isn** **'** **t the end, dear ridaas! (inside joke, sorry xD)**


	3. Change of Fate

**Chapter 3: Change of Fate**

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 **I drew more Starco! It's on my DeviantArt and I attempted to do an anime version. You can check the link to my (and my brother's -_-) profile and check the gallery. It won't be too hard to find!**

Also! Just a little note guys, if you want to skip to the good parts, you may not read Days 2-6. They're just random moments from Marco's Wednesday to Sunday and I'm not too proud of them ^^" Also, I just wrote this chapter on a whim, because I couldn't think of any more plans for it. But I hope you enjoy it all the same :)

 **Reviews are appreciated. Thanks~**

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 _~Day 2~_

 _First, Marco kept it simple._

 _A girl was having a hard time carrying her books. Right before she fell, Marco was instantly there to help her. When he smiled at her, she blushed and thanked him repeatedly._

 _At a football practice, the jocks were practicing their throws and receives. The quarterback had his back turned when a ball was thrown straight at him. Luckily, Marco was there to receive it himself. The jock was surprised, but he shook his hand and thanks him._

 _Jackie was skating on her way to her classroom. She was about to stop and open the door, but a certain brunette was already there to open it for her. She was a little surprised he knew where she was going. But when he smiled, she had to smile back._

 _And by the end of the day, his classmates were praising him when he informed them of the answers to a history test._

 _~Day 3~_

 _That morning, Star planned on making a surprise breakfast of cereal again. But as she struggled with bowls and utensils, Marco suddenly appeared and helped her. She gasped at him, a little surprised, and a bowl fell on his head. The duo laughed at each others' silliness._

 _That day at dodgeball, the boy learned a little trick to catch and throw the balls for once. He didn't even need his helmets. You would have thought he was a pro at this. By the end of the game, he was the last one standing._

 _During Math class, he knew about a little surprise Miss Skullnick would be giving them that day. When she announced a pop quiz, no one groaned._

 _Star and Marco had their fun with each other most of the day, but it ended when Marco suddenly set up a little rock on the ground that day. As predited, Jackie was passing by, and her skateboard tripped on it. He was the first to be there and pick her up. As Jackie smiled at the thought he was being nice, Star frowned in the background, for she saw the whole thing._

 _~Day 4~_

 _Jeremy was planning to prank Marco again, this time with water balloons, but he told on the Principal before he could even make a throw. The young boy was sent to the office once again, muttering curses at the brunette._

 _At lunch, Marco secretly waited for Jackie to come out of her class. Once she exited, he pretended to "bump" into her, acting all flustered as the spoke to each other. Jackie ended up inviting him to sit with her, and he delightfully accepted. Star experienced the whole thing, and she was anything but happy._

 _As the girl stared behind her best friend chatting with his crush, she found jealousy taking over as she picked her hamburger up and threw it at him. Marco merely caught it, expecting that throw, and shouted, "Food fight!" Everyone laughed, and started throwing their food at each other once more. Jackie laughed as she and the brunette dumped their food on each other. Star only sat in disappointment as she ate the rest of her food._

 _~Day 5~_

 _The weekends were simple as well._

 _Marco took Star to the mall, where they met Ferguson and Alfonso. As usual, they were trying to "pick up chicks". Unfortunately for them, none of their techniques were working. But then Marco came along and advised them. Before they knew it, two random girls were linked to their arms. The boys were delighted, but now Star was starting to hesitate at her best friend's actions._

 _~Day 6~_

 _It was supposed to be a day of leisure for the two of them. Marco decided to take Star to the park this time, for reasons she did not know about. She was prancing around in the park and Marco sat and watched. But then he saw Jackie skateboarding and went over to talk to her. Star then knew the reason why he brought her. It was just a reason to ditch her for Jackie. Star couldn't do anything as she watched them chat off._

 _That night, as Marco slept, dreaming his latest vision, the spider in the jar snickered as its eyes turned red._

* * *

 _Marco's latest dream was much different than any of the ones he'd had in the past week. This one was shadowy and indistinct. Which meant he couldn't tell what the future held for him as accurately as he did before.  
_

 _Blackness closed in on the scene, causing it to seem faint, and more of past event than a future one. In this dream, Star was tripping. An accidental trip, most likely, for it certainly looked like she didn't intend to fall. But when fate comes to fate, where her face had landed wasn't quite as expected._

 _It was on Marco's face._

 _There were scenes of people murmuring and giggling, mistaking the accident for an act of love. Star covered her mouth, seeming to be stuttering something. The brunette had never looked so embarrassed. Especially when Jackie went away to "give them some room". Even outside the vision, Marco felt his heart shatter._

* * *

When Marco woke up, he felt his chest pounding. He ran a hand through his hand, panting slightly. He was way too shaken up from that vision, and couldn't imagine himself ever kissing Star. But he'd seen it happen, and it was bound to come true.

' _This cannot happen,'_ he thought.

What worried him was that he didn't even know when this would occur. Obviously with a lot of people and with Jackie around. But where exactly?

But he didn't have time to think about it now. It was a Monday, and everything bad that ever happened to him was on a Monday.

When Marco went downstairs, he was surprised to find his mom in the kitchen this time. "Where's Star?" he asked.

"Oh, she already left for school~"

"She did? So I missed the bus?!"

Mrs. Diaz laughed. "No, no! She just used her wand, as usual."

"…Oh." It sort of hurt that she left without him, but Marco reminded himself he couldn't look at her just yet.

He ate his breakfast and caught the bus. It didn't really feel the same without Star with him. But when he got to school, almost everyone greeted him. His actions in the past week practically got him a spot in popularity. And that made him grin.

When Marco got to his classroom, he saw Star staring out the window. He froze in place, frowning slightly. But when he looked at her, he knew he couldn't avoid her all day.

"Hey, Star," he called out as he sat beside her. He was smiling, but her face didn't change. "…Star?" Not even a turn of the head. He didn't know what he did to make her ignore him. It sort of stung.

"Hey, Marco!" The boy suddenly turned and saw Jackie at the other seat, smiling as she waved him over. "It was fun talking with you yesterday. I didn't know we had so much in common!"

They really didn't. Marco was pretty much exaggerating the truth the entire time. But he smiled at her anyway. "Me neither! You're a good listener, Jackie."

"Wanna sit at lunch again later?" she asked, nudging him playfully.

' _Lunch!'_ Of course. Lunch was always the perfect time for a crowd to appear. A perfect place for someone to trip. "I'd love to!" he replied, still smiling.

"Awesome."

Just when class began to start, only then did Star lean across the aisle and whisper to the boy. "Marco, can I talk to you at lunch later?"

His eyes widened slightly. Another sign. The trip could really happen then. But at the same time, it couldn't. It was really hard to know for sure. Should he take the chance?

"All right," he said simply. Star nodded and retreated back to her seat.

Now, Marco was dreading lunchtime.

Unfortunately, it came around pretty soon. There were a _lot_ of noisy, hungry students around the café but they still looked like they would pay attention to anything. As Marco claimed his food, he looked around, a little nervous.

"Marco, over here." He looked to see Jackie waving a hand from her usual table of friends, patting the seat next to her. He managed a smile and walked right over.

"Thought you'd lost your way if you didn't know where I was."

"Ahaha…of course not." While she talked to her friends for a moment, Marco looked around for Star. She was bound to cross their table any moment. He ended up eating his banana in jittery bites.

"Marco, you all right?" He almost jumped when he felt Jackie place a hand on his shoulder.

"What? I'm fine, I'm fine! Haha…" He certainly wasn't fine.

Because there she was. Star had a tray of food with her this time besides the usual cereal. And she was walking right for them. The brunette was panicking now. He didn't even think it would come this far. She would slip anytime soon now.

But then it hit him. What better way to stop being slipped onto than to cause the slip?

When Jackie wasn't looking, Marco "accidentally" dropped his banana peel onto the floor. Star seemed too bummed out to even bother noticing.

And then it happened.

" _Whoa!"_ Her foot slid on the peel, and she teetered backwards, causing her tray to fly in the air. She landed crashed to the floor on the seat of her dress, and her entire tray of mystery meat, salad, and yogurt. landed on the top of her head.

Everyone gasped at Star. She lifted her head, and the meat dripped from it. At that, the entire cafetorium burst into fits of laughter.

Marco felt really guilty by then. He felt himself freeze up again, and he couldn't even go help her up. Jackie was the only one kind enough to get Star back on her feet.

"Are you all right, Star?" she asked.

The blonde girl only sighed. "I'm fine, Jackie…just fine."

The sad look she gave Marco was like an arrow to his arrow. It looks like she knew more than he thought. Star left the room without another word.

The brunette felt like a coward, treating his best friend like that. But it was the only way to stop her falling on him. Now, a change of destiny was sure to come along.

"You better check on her, Marco," Jackie advised. "She could really use you."

Deep inside, he didn't want to leave another chance to sit with Jackie. But deeper inside, he knew his friend needed him, even if he was the source of her humiliation.

"I will." With that, he left.

Marco knew she was in some girls' bathroom cleaning up, and it wasn't hard to find once he'd heard the sniffling through the other side of the door. But that only made him feel even guiltier.

"Star," he called out. Of course, he received no response. "Star, please talk to me." Nothing. "…I know you hate me right now, but I'm sorry! I really am! I didn't mean to…" His voice faltered. He _had_ meant to.

"You might not talk to me now…but I promise. This will never happen again."

When he received silence yet again, he sighed and left.

The door to the girls' bathroom crept open, and Star's horrified face poked out.

That night was supposed to be the last night of Marco's visions. He wasn't supposed to have any of them any more. But that was something he couldn't take.

Reaching underneath his bed, Marco pulled out a certain jar and placed it atop of his desk. He opened the lid and poked his hand in. It was too late to turn back now.

"Don't make me regret this," he warned as he weighed the Dream Spider in his right hand. The arachnid only bared its fangs, as it smirked slightly.

Marco's muffled screams could not be heard through the dark of the night as the spider bit him once again.

* * *

 **Yeah, I'm not that proud of this chapter (it seems so short, I know),but I'm excited for the next one, because it's Detective Star on the case! Well, really, I don't even know what I might make her do in future chapters, but I'm sure excited! We've had enough of Marco. It's our favorite heroine's turn in the spotlight.**

 **Remember, reviews are appreciated ^^**


	4. It Gets Worse

**Chapter 4: It Gets Worse**

* * *

 **Oh, I just spoiled it with the chapter title xD But I'm pretty sure everyone knew it** _ **was**_ **going to turn bad. I swear, I hate how obvious this whole thing might turn out, but I promise there will be some sort of twist in this. I hope, anyway :P Read on, my ridaas.**

* * *

Back at school the next day, Star sighed as she opened her locker. Yesterday was absolutely mortifying. She should be at her usual happy self, but she couldn't help thinking about what happened. To think her best friend would do that to her. It wasn't her schoolmates' laughing that rang in her head but Marco's dead silence. That was enough to make Star Butterfly frown.

Suddenly, someone slammed her locker door shut. Star turned to find Marco staring into her eyes. "Marco?" she questioned, forgetting to avoid him. "What are you doing here?"

The brunette boy only looked down at the ground sadly as he stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. "I was a real jerk yesterday…you didn't deserve what I did. I don't know what got over me. I'm sorry, Star. I know you might not ever forgive me…"

His face meted the blonde girl's heart. She gave a giant smile and spread her arms out. "Of course I can, you dum-dum! You're my best Earth friend!"

Marco had to grin at that. "…Hugs?"

" _Hugs!"_ Star wrapped her arms around him, hugging tightly. Marco hugged her back.

"Wow, this is a relief," Marco sighed after they pulled away. "Thought you'd avoid me forever."

"Pshh, of course not!" Star did consider it, though.

"I _promise_ I'll find a way to make it up to you."

"Hmm…" The girl hesitated, thinking of a proper punishment. "…You. Me. Hang out. Bounce Lounge!"

"Done," Marco agreed as they walked together to their class. "Just as long as I don't fall across the edge."

"Don't worry about it!" Finally, things were back to normal. "It's actually a good thing your spider bite faded away. Now, those visions are gone!"

The boy suddenly chuckled nervously. "Ahaha…right you are…"

That's when Star realized he had his hands in his pockets the entire time. Growing suspicious, she quickly got his right hand and held it up for inspection. "Hey!"

Star gasped as she examined the back of it. "Marco! Spider bite! Still here!"

The boy yanked his hand back, holding his hand almost protectively. "Heh, I know right? Guess your mom wrong about it going away after a week…"

"My mother is hardly ever wrong! You know, in that retrospect. She's the queen!"

"Well, maybe not all queens are right! I'll just have another round of visions. No big deal."

Star did not have a response to that.

"But hey, looking on the bright side, I asked Jackie if she wanted to go on a date with me again and she said yes!"

In all honesty, Star couldn't tell if that was good news or not. But she forced a smile for her friend. "That's awesome, Marco! Ever since the dreams came in, you've been finally getting along…"

"I know! Cool, right? I'm gonna take her to the movies tomorrow night. And I'll know the perfect movie she'll wanna watch too!"

"Sounds…good!" So not good.

"Maybe she'll feel better if we went somewhere else after. Last night, I—" He suddenly cut himself off and held his head in pain. "Agh!"

Star tilted her head, a little confused. "Are you…OK?"

"Uh, fine. Just a headache maybe…" He held his head again, wincing this time.

"Marco, maybe you should—"

"No thanks."

"But maybe you could—"

"Nuh-uh."

"But I think the spider bite is—"

" _No!_ There's nothing wrong with the spider bite! Can we please just let it go?"

Before Star could even reply, he entered their classroom without another word. The girl frowned. Why was he so defensive? It was just like the monster arm all over again. If she didn't do something faster…

Star could only sigh as she followed him inside.

* * *

It was just the usual thing for the rest of the day. Marco saw the future, made it happen, hung out with Jackie, talked a lot. Everyone practically respected him. It never seemed to get old.

Marco may have loved it, but Star was concerned. It was good he was getting attention, but wasn't this all a bit too much?

' _Definitely the monster arm all over again,'_ she thought.

There was also something else to Marco's new dreams. They seemed to be more accurate, as if he could already tell absolutely everything that was bound to happen. Plus, every time he made the future happen, he'd get another headache. Whenever Star tried to talk to him about it, he'd push her away from the truth. Which made Star even more curious.

That night, Marco fulfilled his promise and was dancing with her at the Bounce Lounge. Star was trying to get some information out of him.

"So, Marco," she started with an innocent smile. "How's your day been?"

"Great!" Marco said grinning. "So first—"

His voice was drowned out by the sound of music and people cheering. She could barely hear what Marco was saying. "What?" she shouted, cupping her ear.

"I said, I—"

The cheering only got louder as the people chanted for more music. Getting annoyed, Star started to yell. _"Hey! Do you people mind?!"_

Yes, she got some glares. Yes, she didn't care. Star just went with dragging Marco off the dance floor and on a cloud seat. "You were saying~"

Marco chuckled a little. "I was _saying_ that tomorrow at my date with Jackie, I might ask her to be my girlfriend!"

At those words, Star felt her face drop to a frown. She didn't know why, but the thought of Marco and Jackie together made the hearts on her cheeks break in half.

But she quickly tried to cover it up by smiling brightly again. "Marco, that's…great! Just great!" Really, what else was she supposed to say? "She'll definitely say yes!"

"Oh, I know. I just thought you'd like to. Thanks for always supporting, Star."

Marco was smiling at her, so Star forced herself to smile back. Maybe Jackie wouldn't get in the way of their friendship…

Suddenly, the brunette started to get another headache and he almost collapsed to the floor. She gasped, helping him up. "Marco!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he insisted. "Hey, wanna go over to the photo booth?"

There were more important things than that. "Marco, you look really sick. Let's get you back home."

"Ugh…" The boy was too weak to argue.

Star brought her dimensional scissors out and cut a portal. She and Marco went through and were back in his room. The boy groaned as Star got him in bed. "Star, no. I promised that—"

"New promise: rest up for me so you can be better on your date with Jackie! I just don't want you to get hurt, Marco."

His eyes widened slightly at the words, but he quickly smiled. "Thanks…"

"OK, lights out~ See you in the morning!" Star skipped out the door, using her wand to take the light.

Marco lay in his bed, making sure Star was away before he could get up again. He was staring at something under his bed, ready to bring it out.

* * *

The next morning, Star was eating a breakfast of pancakes Mrs. Diaz had made for the duo. "Mm…" She was chewing intently when Marco came down.

"Hey, Star!" he called, sliding down the stair rail. He sat at the chair across Star, a big grin on his face.

"Wow! Someone's cheerful!" Star commenting, smiling as well. "Excited for your big date tonight?"

"You bet! That rest did me good. I feel like a new man!" The brunette grinned proudly.

"See~? Headaches cure faster when you have R and R and R: rest, relaxation, and rapid eye movement!"

Marco chuckled. "Yep, you were right. Hey, Star, have you noticed that ever since last week, Ludo hasn't been attacking in a while?"

In fact, Star did notice. It was suspicious, but she tried not to think about it. Now that Marco mentioned it, she had to hesitate. "Maybe that spider could be a little lucky?" she put in, acting cheerful.

"Heh, yeah," Marco ate his pancake, glad she agreed.

Star just stayed silent the rest of the morning.

Nothing unusual at all happened then, from what Star experienced. No headaches, not too many visions coming true. Marco acted almost completely normal.

But she wasn't a believer just yet. After school, Marco was preparing for his date and he was asking for Star's opinion.

"Should I wear this hoodie or the other eleven ones?"

Unfortunately, the girl was getting rather impatient. "Marco! They all look the same! Just wear one and get going!"

"Yeah, but I just wanted to—"

" _Go!"_

She practically pulled a hoodie over his head and pushed him. "Don't worry you look fantastic have a nice night!"

With those words, she pushed him out the door, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"Now, what are you hiding, Diaz?"

She practically scavenged his entire room, trying to find any clues that could lead to any secrets Marco wasn't telling her. She checked his closets, drawers, shelves, _under his bed,_ but found nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"Ugh!" Star groaned in annoyance. "Doesn't he have at least one thing to hide?"

But then she realized she didn't have to search on her own. "Ohhh, duh! I have a wand for a reason!"

Raising it up in the air, she grinned as she spoke a spell: _"Random Mystic Locator!"_

The words just came out. She had no idea why she just said that. The spell somehow messed up and the entire room got turned upside down.

All of Marco's stuff fell onto the ceiling, with Star joining in. She shrieked as books fell on her. A moment later, her head popped out of the mess, wincing a little guiltily.

"Maybe there's a spell that can fix this…" She brought her manual out and flipped through it. _"Turno Undofus Roomicus!"_

That seemed to cut it. Marco's room turned right-side up again, all the stuff falling back onto the floor.

"OK! Time to clean up! _Room Sweep!"_

The latter spell may have worked, but now all the stuff just ended up messier.

"Um… _Room Sweep!"_ They all ended up at the corner. _"Room Sweep!"_ They were stacked into a pile. _"Room Sweep!"_

Repeat the words about a millions times and that was Star's Wednesday night.

A couple of hours later, Marco had returned from his date, a big smile on his face. He was practically skipping up his room. But when he got inside, he was surprised to find Star collapsed on his bed, panting slightly.

"What happened in here?"

Star suddenly noticed his arrival and bolted right up, dusting her skirt. "Oh, nothing~ How was your date?"

"Unbelievable! She loved the movie, and we went out to dinner after! I knew it, Star, she said yes! Jackie and I…yeah!" The boy was way too giddy to even speak.

Star, however, was anything but delighted. She should've seen this coming. She should've been supporting him, as she usually did. But now, she felt broken inside.

"I'm happy for you, Marco," she lied, hugging him tightly. "You deserve this!"

"Thanks, Star. And nice work on my room? You didn't have to clean it."

"Oh, it's no big deal!" How many spells did she have to go through to fix everything up?

Worst of all, she still didn't find any clues. Maybe Marco _wasn't_ hiding anything. Maybe she was just delirious.

Or jealous.

"Well, good night, Marco!" Star said cheerfully, slowly leaving out the door. "See you tomorrow!"

Star left. Marco made sure she was gone again and brought something out of his hoodie pocket. It was the spider jar. "Really big help today," he muttered, putting it back under his bed. The spider only gave a little snicker.

Soon after, the boy completely collapsed onto his bed and passed out.

* * *

That "see you tomorrow" never came. At least for Star. Two days had passed and Marco had been absent and staying in bed. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz claimed he felt sick and didn't feel like going to school. Star wasn't allowed to see him until the end of the week, seeing as she had much homework to worry about. Most people _did_ worry about the brunette, but only because they wanted a kick in of his visions. Only some cared about his safety. Jackie was one especially.

"Is Marco all right?" Jackie asked Star once. "I didn't do anything on our date, did I?"

"No, Marco loves you!" Star insisted. "He's just, uh…not feeling well I guess?"

That was _definitely_ the case.

Star was really worried. It may have only been two days, but she was concerned for him. Especially since this all happened after his date. Maybe something _was_ up. Star finally finished her homework for the week and decided to pay Marco a little visit.

However, when she knocked on his door, she got a very harsh response. "Go away!"

The blonde was unfazed and cleared her throat. "Marco~ It's me! Star Butterfly?"

"Don't come in, Star."

"I'm coming in~"

She went in.

But what she saw made her frown. Marco was looking a little paler than usual. He had eye bags and a parched mouth. He was laying in his bed, looking rather sickly, but he was staring at Star rather seriously as he grasped his blanket rather defensively. "What is it, Star?"

"I just…wanted to see how you were doing! It's a Friday. You need to catch up on all the homework! I mean, I for one, had to—"

"I already know all the answers. I can do my homework later. I don't feel well, so get out."

The words hurt, but Star pushed on. "Come on, Marco! I know you don't, but let's go find a cure that'll turn that frown upside down! Besides, you want to look better for Jackie, don't you?"

"Jackie's a patient girl. I'll get better in time. Star, you really should go—"

"Marco, it's kinda hot, you should really take the covers off!"

Before he could stop her, she yanked his blanket off. Just as she suspected, he was hiding something underneath it. And she was more than surprised to find the spider.

Star gasped when it flinched in surprise and crawled up to Marco's head. "You never sent it away, did you? That's why you still had the bite! You've been getting it to bite you all this time, haven't you?!"

"Pfft no," Marco defended. "Not _all_ this time. Just two or three times."

"But Marco, that thing could kill you!"

"Don't be silly, Star! This thing has been helping me a lot."

"It's dangerous! My mom said so! Besides, you have no idea where the spider even came from!"

Suddenly, they heard rumbling and felt the ground shake. "Whoa, what's happening?" Marco asked.

"I don't know!" Star shouted. "Backyard!"

Marco finally got out of his bed as they raced to Star's room and looked out the window.

A portal was being cut up. As it grew larger, dozens of monsters came piling out of it. They looked pretty angry and were looking ready to fight.

Following all of them on a giant bat was their leader himself. Ludo stood on it, grinning evilly.

"Star Butterfly! This is the day I get your wand! _Once and for all!"_ His monsters all growled/roared in response.

The duo could only stare, dumbfounded. "Well!" Marco said. "At least I know where the spider came from now."

* * *

 **I can't wait to get to work on Chapter 5! Please rate and review guys! Very appreciated, always appreciate it :)**


	5. Plan B

**Chapter 5: Plan B**

* * *

 **I'm so review-conscious like fuq.**

 **Hey guys, hope the fic has been going well so far! We're already halfway to the end! Now I'm excited. I'm going to be sure to finish this before school over here starts. Already shuddering just thinking about having to deal with homework again.**

* * *

There were definitely a lot of monsters. Star could only stare as they bolted down the stairs and were now standing in the backyard. "Ludo!" she shouted. "How many times do you have to keep trying?"

"Until I finally get my hands on your wand, of course!" he shrieked.

"Oh, please, like that's ever going to happen!"

"Oh, mark my words, it will, Star Butterfly! Just you wa—"

"I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation already."

"I..." The bird-like little monster hesitated. "Well, yes, I did already promise that. But I intend to fulfill it! And today, I finally have the advantage!"

' _Advantage? What's he yapping about?'_ Star thought.

"Don't worry, Star," Marco promised. "I got your back on this! We'll beat him up in no time!"

"Marco, you're sick!"

Before he could protest, a monster practically kicked the boy away. Marco was sent flying backwards into the house.

That made Star furious. "Hey! How would you like it if someone kicked you?! _Foot Swing Blast!"_

Star waved her wand, and a fury of feet came hitting the monster and some others in the face. Ludo's goons saw that as a threat and came at her all at once.

But before they could even strike, Marco came running back and karate-kicked them in the faces. _"Hyah!"_

" _Narwhal Blast!"_ Star yelled, striking some more. _"Narwhal Blast! Narwhal Blast!"_

" _Heeeyah!"_

" _Mega Rainbow Fist Punch!"_

" _You want a piece of this?!"_

Yes, just like old times.

But Marco was just about to punch a two-headed monster when another headache came in again. He winced a bit, but that gave the monster a chance. Before the boy could strike, the two-headed monster used one head to butt him away. Marco landed on the grass, groaning from the pain.

He hoped it didn't show any signs of weakness, but Ludo unfortunately noticed. "Hang on. What's wrong with the boy?"

"He's sick and should be in bed," Star replied obliviously. "Marco! I can handle this! Get back inside! _Bunny Rabbit Blast!"_

"No way! I'm fine!"

"No, you're not! I'm ending this quick!"

"And why are you still intact?!" It's as if the bird was talking to a robot.

"Are you kidding?!" Star shouted, punching more monsters. "I'm always ready to beat you any day, Ludo! _Narwhal Blast!"_

" _Gah!"_ The bird monster suddenly took Buff Frog by the collar of his shirt and shook him back and forth angrily. "You said the forces here had grown weaker! You said she was _distracted!"_

"B-But, I…" the monster stuttered. Apparently, he had no excuse.

"Bah! I'm getting tired of your lies! Just get that wand!"

"No can do, Ludo!" Star yelled, jumping up. _"Syrup Tsunami Shockwave!"_

" _No!"_

That final move ended it all. All the monsters got enveloped in the sticky substance, now practically glued to each other. They groaned in both pain and annoyance, especially when they knew they'd be getting it from Ludo.

" _Fools!"_ he shrieked. "If anyone could have just told me at least _once_ for the past two weeks that it was _not_ Star Butterfly that got bitten, then none of this would have happened!"

Something about Ludo's words made Star's heart stop. "Wait, what?"

"In! Everyone in the portal now!" All the monsters reluctantly got up, returning to their usual retreat routine. "Disappointments, you hear?! You all are!"

"Stop right there, Ludo!" Star shouted, pointing at him.

But the little monster only glared. "I _will_ find a way, Star Butterfly! Don't think you've won yet!"

With that, he disappeared into the portal.

Star could only stare this time. What was Ludo talking about? She was supposed to get bitten? By what…

Suddenly, she remembered Marco and whirled towards him. He was anything _but_ fine. He was a coughing, pale mess. She quickly ran over and helped him up. "You shouldn't have helped," she said quietly.

"I said I'm f—" He didn't even have the strength to argue with her. He practically collapsed in her arms. Star had no choice but to carry him back upstairs.

Once she was back in Marco's room, she placed him in his bed gently. The boy was sound asleep now, but he was still in pain. She would be sure to ask his parents to call the doctor about this, but Star was pretty sure even the doctor couldn't figure this case out.

Star burst into her room and paced the floor. Ludo's words were fretting her. What _bite_ could he possibly be talking about? The only bite she ever knew was the one about the Dream Spider…

' _The Drem Spider,'_ Star's eyes widened slightly. Was Ludo the reason it was even here in the first place? It was _definitely_ the reason why Marco was sick…

She quickly got the wand manual out from under her bed, flipping through it. There had to be some kind of spell that cured spider bites… But even if she _could_ find one, wouldn't she just make things worse?

"This is impossible!" Star cried out, shutting the book closed. She didn't really have any other options…

Suddenly, she heard some sort of ringing and immediately bolted up. "Huh?" Her magic mirror was signaling a call. Star was confused on who might be calling.

But she then lit up when she saw the caller ID and answered. "Flying Princess Pony Head!" she cheered.

The body-less princess neighed happily. "Heeey, gurl!" she sang "B-fly, I missed you soooo much!"

"I missed you too! How's Saint O's?"

Star said that with such dread that Pony Head's expression got the same amount of terror. Her mane shuddered, forcing a smile. "Yeaaaah, that's why I called, so we can like, not talk about it?"

The blonde smiled. "I understand. Soooo, what's up?"

"Just wanted to know how you've been, girl! And the Earth turd too, of course."

"You mean Marco?"

"Yeah, yeah, Marco, you two've been tight?"

Star honestly wanted to answer yes. But with the way things have been going, she didn't know _what_ to say. So she went with the lie. "Pfft, of course! We're still Earth besties!"

"Good! That turd—I mean boy, better treat you well! Or else he'll get the horn!" Oh, if Marco wasn't already that sick… "You know, if I could just get out of this princess jail!"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head!" Star laughed lightly. "We're totally fine!"

"You better!" Suddenly, there was a little sound of a bell on the other end. "Uh-oh. My time's almost up. You've been taking care of my dimensional scissors, B-fly? They being any use to ya?"

At those words, Star's eyes lit up instantly. A lightbulb went off in her head. She slowly turned and practically grinned at the said shears, which were sticking out from her desk, glinting underneath the light.

"Oh, you bet, Pony Head," Star said, all giddy. "They're a _real_ help over here."

"Good to know, girl!" Pony Head neighed again. "Well, better head back! See ya, gurl! Pray the next time I call that I'll still look the same!"

"Bye, Pony Head!" Star cried out, waving, as the mirror blacked out.

"…And hello, Ludo."

Star quickly got the dimensional scissors from her table and took a deep breath. She was about to go into the most disgusting place imaginable…

"I am so going to regret this." The blonde started to cut up a portal. She expanded it, making it large enough for her to fit in. Through it, she saw Ludo's castle, and instantly shivered at the thought of just being in it.

But she had to know the answers for Marco.

"For Marco!"

Gaining confidence and the will to hold her repugnance, she stepped inside.

The moment she stepped in, Star shuddered at the sight of the bird monster's castle. Dark skies, withered plants, skulls, and thorns? The total opposite of Mewni. Or Earth for that matter. It was a completely dreary, poor, weak-willed place.

"Well…" she hesitated. "It does fit his description."

She started to walk up the stairs that led to his door. At least the entrance looked normal. She cleared her throat and knocked. Instantly, two monsters burst out, growling as they held their weapons. But once they saw who was at the door, they raised their eyebrows.

"Um, hi!" Star greeted, waving her wand. "I was wondering if I could have a conference with Ludo? Just a little talk?"

The two monsters glanced at each other, completely confused. But they shrugged it off and led her inside.

They came across Buff Frog, who croaked in fear at the fact his boss' archenemy was right in their castle. "Star Butterfly!" he said, in a faltered tone. "Why are you here?"

"Hi, Buff Frog," she said politely. "I just need to talk to your 'boss'. If that's all right?"

Buff Frog looked at the two monster guards, who only shrugged, just as confused. "Uh, sure…" he said slowly. "Right this way."

The guards continued to follow as Buff Frog led them to Ludo's throne room. It was just as dreary as the outside of the castle. Star restrained herself from making another disgusted expression.

Not that Ludo could even see it. He was sound asleep on his throne. Despite the fact he didn't fight at all earlier, he had already passed out and was snoring through his defeat. Star raised an eyebrow. Buff Frog shrugged.

"Ludo Master," he called out awkwardly. "Star Butterfly has come to see you."

"Huh? What?" The little monster snapped awake when he saw the princess in his castle. _"Star Butterfly_ is in my castle?! Why has no one informed me?!"

"W-Well, um…" Buff Frog stammered. He obviously knew nothing.

"Uh, hello?" Star called. "I'm still here, you know!"

"Yes, well…now you're in _my_ home, Princess! Attack!"

"No! Wait! I only came to talk."

Ludo's eyes widened as he looked at Buff Frog. He only shrugged again, clearly not understanding this whole situation.

"Is this some sort of trick."

Star scoffed. "Why would I need to trick _you?_ I won't stoop down to your level."

"Yes, that is—What's that supposed to mean?!"

"No fighting during this whole conversation. I promise!"

Ludo hesitated, not trusting her. "Mm…fine! Do what you must…"

"Thank you! Now, I just wanted to know about the Dream Spider." Star pointed her wand at the small monster on his throne, narrowing her eyes. "Why did you send for it to bite Marco?!"

" _What?!_ Restrain her!"

The guards tried attacking Star but she only aimed her wand for them now. They retreated back, not wanting to get another syrup tsunami. "You said no fighting!" Ludo screamed.

"I'm only using the wand for interrogation. Not actually using it, see~"

The bird monster grumbled. Loopholes suck.

"Now, what do you know about the Dream Spider?"

Surprisingly, Ludo was chuckling. "Ah, yes! My greatest plan yet. It was impossible to drive a hard bargain with Kevin!"

"Kevin?" Star echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"The spider, of course!"

The blonde crossed her arms. "What kind of spider is named Kevin?"

"Enough questions! We agreed that he go to your Earth dimension, infiltrating your home, and spread that visionous disease!"

"Visionous isn't a word."

"Case in point! It was a perfect plan!"

"So why did you attack Marco?!"

Ludo slapped his forehead. "Are you daft, Princess? I could care less about that karate-chopping twit."

"Don't you talk about Marco that way!"

"Well, he _isn't_ much of a help much lately, is he?"

It's as if he knew exactly what was going on in their lives. Star didn't like it. "What did you do to him?"

"What did _I_ do to him?! Nothing! Kevin is the spider here! _You_ were supposed to be the one he was going to bite! There must be some kind of mix-up!"

"But why would you want me to have visions of the future?"

Ludo started to laugh again. "Why else, my dear princess? To give you a desire! A desire so strong that it would drive you to madness!"

Star hesitated. "…You mean like you?"

"Yes!—Wait, no!" Ludo glared down at her. "The more bites one takes from a Dream Spider, the stronger the visions get! And the stronger the visions get—"

"The more one would want them more…" Star suddenly gasped. It all made snese now.

Ludo was smirking now. "I admit, the original plan was to have _you_ driven mad…but this 'Marco' of yours seems to be very special to you." Star could only stare up in horror. "I have just thought of a new plan!"

"Steal my wand?" Star asked, almost hopefully.

"That was my plan from the very beginning! No, I will have Kevin give him stronger bites! And once he gets enough of them…he will be nothing!"

The little monster started laughing hysterically – like a true maniac – and was praising himself for such a brilliant idea. It still made no sense, but Star knew enough. Any closer times with that spider and Marco was doomed.

"You won't get away with this, Ludo!" Star shouted at him.

"Oh, keep telling yourself that. Now, is the conversation over?"

"…Yes. I'll be going no—"

" _Attack!"_

Star gasped when she turned and found Ludo's monsters starting to surround her. They were ready to fight once again, but with even more determination. "We had a deal!" Star yelled. "No fighting!"

"Yes," Ludo sneered. "No fighting the entire _conversation."_ Yes, loopholes suck.

All the monsters charged at once, but Star was quick. She jumped on top of a monster's head, knocking it out, and prepared her wand again.

" _Narwhal Blast!"_

The narwhals landed and poked the monsters in the eyes, causing them all to scream and have Ludo scream right back at them.

While they were distracted, Star got her dimensional scissors and hurriedly cut a portal. Before a monster could grab her, she quickly leapt through it.

"Gah!" Ludo yelled in fury. _"So close!"_

But then his little wart-filled face lit up. "Hmm, no matter! She knows the plan. And there's no way she'll _ever_ find the cure!"

The villain's shrieks of joy were heard throughout the castle.

* * *

 **Oh, how I hate how I made Ludo sound smart haha xD  
**

 **Hope this was a good one! See you in the next chapters! Remember to rate and review~ Always appreciated :)**


	6. Attempts

**Chapter 6: Attempts**

* * *

 **Hey guys. I'm trying not to be too bummed out about my fic stats, but I could really use some encouragement. Read on, and I hope you like it :)**

* * *

"Hmm…"

"How does he look, Doctor?" Mrs. Diaz asked worriedly.

"…He doesn't look too good." In response to that, Marco coughed harshly. "I can't seem to figure out what the problem with him is!"

"But he's going to be all right, right?"

"According to my calculations, if he just stays in bed and rest up, he should be better in no time."

' _I'm not so sure about that,'_ Star thought.

The next day, Marco's parents had called a doctor to come check on him. But as he said, they couldn't identify what disease was infecting him. But Star knew. She knew that resting wasn't going to do any good this time. But she couldn't say anything.

"He should stay under house arrest," the doctor advised, packing his things. "Stay in his room. "It would also be best if your exchange student guest here stays away until the week ends."

"I understand," Star said sadly. If she wanted Marco to get better, she had to deal with his problems away from him.

Once the doctor was gone, and Marco's parents put him to sleep, Star had to leave and paced her room. There had to be some way to cure her friend. All the spider bite-fading spells just lead to a dead end.

Suddenly, she gasped and hesitated. Did she dispose of that spider yet? When Ludo attacked, she'd lost her train of thought. It must still be in his room. If Marco was anywhere near that thing again…

Star exited her room and went over to Marco's. She carefully opened the door and tiptoed inside. Marco was fast asleep in his bed, but Star didn't dare look at him.

Instead, she stuck under the bed and rummaged through. She suddenly felt something and brought it out. The spider in the jar hissed when it saw her.

"Shhh!" she hushed. Luckily, Marco kept on snoring. She quickly exited the room before he could even know she was there.

Back at her room, Star slammed the jar onto her desk and glared. "All right, talk!" she practically shouted. "Why do you keep doing this to Marco? What's your cure?!"

The spider only sneered evilly. "I won't tell you."

"Oh, you better! Because I'll—" She suddenly paused. "Wait, you can actually talk?" Wasn't expecting that.

"Of course I can talk!" the spider grumped. "I couldn't say anything in front of that human, could I? And I have a name you know."

"Oh! Yeah, Kevin…so, where's your cure?!"

"I can't tell you."

"You can't or you won't?"

"Both. I don't know _what_ the cure is. More or less know where to find it. I'm a spider. I don't usually care about my victims."

"Do you even _have_ a cure?"

"How should I know? I just bite and bite. That's the only thing I know how to do."

"Well, you sure are helpful."

"Thank you."

Star groaned. "I have to find a way to get Marco healed."

"So you're asking the very cause of his sickness? Try asking an expert. Talking to Dream Spiders isn't good for princesses."

"Hmm…" Star hesitated. "I guess that's true. One more thing. Why did you bite Marco instead of me?"

Kevin the spider suddenly moaned. "I've had a hard day two weeks ago, all right?! I was so dizzy from all the humans' foolishness. Master Ludo can't expect me to keep business when _I'm_ sick!"

The blonde girl could only sigh. "Well, I'm keeping an eye on you! If you ever bite Marco again—"

Kevin suddenly chuckled. "For your information, Dream Spiders only take the first bite. It is now the bitee that commands us if they want to be bitten again or not. And in this case, your Marco wants to get a real _hold_ of my fangs."

"Then I'll just keep you away from him!"

"We'll see how that works out, Princess." The tone of his voice did not appeal.

' _So now I have to find an expert,'_ Star thought slowly. _'Where can I do that?'_

Suddenly, she had an idea.

"To Quest Buy!" she cheered, cutting a portal.

"Whoa!" Kevin squeaked as they jumped in.

* * *

Once they were in the infamous dimension mart, Star looked around frantically. "Oh, if only the directions and labels weren't so complicated!"

"Ah, Quest Buy," Kevin sighed. "The sweet smell of insanity."

Ignoring that, Star walked up to a certain sloth employee, who seemed to be boredly re-stocking some the hardware items. He turned to her, the usual blank expression on his face. "Welcome to Quest Buy. How can I help you."

"Hi!" Star greeted, waving as usual. "I was wondering…do you have any stock on Dream Spider cures?" She gave an innocent smile, feeling a little hopeful.

The employee didn't even hesitate. "Sorry. No such thing."

Star's hope immediately dropped. "What?!" she practically yelled.

"Yup. We're never gonna be stocked on Dream Spider cures, and never will be. 'Cause they don't exist."

"Then how do their victims get healed?"

"They usually don't. And they usually don't have any. Dreams Spiders were banished a long time ago."

He said 'long' with twice as much boredom as he already had. Kevin snickered quietly. Star frowned. "So there really isn't anything else to do."

"Yep. You either take the bite and only _the_ bite, get more and go crazy, or take more and simply die." The employee turned away and went back to his job, leaving a broken-hearted Star. "…Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"…Nah, it's stupid. It's not worth it."

"No!" Star grabbed the sloth by the shirt and shook him. "Tell me!"

Annoyed, the sloth had to swat her away, giving a death glare down at the princess. "Look, it's my duty to keep the customers away from danger or encourage them to buy or stuff. So if you can't do both, you should go back home."

"But—"

Without warning, the sloth had already cut a portal and pushed Star in it.

* * *

The moment she landed back into her room, the portal closed.

"Ugh!" Star groaned, kicking her manual.

"I told you," Kevin said evilly. "There is no cure."

"You never said anything!"

"Well maybe that could be true…"

Frustrated, Star collapsed on her desk. So there really was no other way...Marco was doomed.

' _No, he isn't."_ Star thought. There was an _unless._ If she could just understand what that 'unless' could be. But who else could she go to that knew dimensional creatures more than she did?

After a moment's hesitation, Star forced herself to regain confidence. She took the spider jar and hurried over to her mirror.

"What are you doing?"

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Call my parents."

" _Calling parents…"_

It didn't take long before King and Queen Butterfly appeared. Star's mother smiled. "Hello, darling, how have you been?"

"Mom, Dad," Star said sternly. "I have a very important question and I need a very crucial answer."

"Ask away, dear," King Butterfly said.

"Do you know about any cure for this?"

Star held the spider jar up and Kevin smirked, baring his fangs. King and Queen Butterfly instantly shrieked. "Star Butterfly!" her mother scolded. "I told you to dispose of that thing!"

"Yeahhh," Star said awkwardly. "Well, I kind of put Marco to be in charge of the 'disposing', and it turns out he didn't do any of it. Hahaha…" The royal parents weren't laughing.

"Star, that thing is very dangerous," the King reminded.

"I know! I didn't want it around either!"

"Hey," Kevin warned. "We have feelings, you know."

"Oh, sorry!"

"Do _not_ apologize to such dreadful creatures," her mother chided. "I want you to have it _gone_."

"I guess I can do that…"

"Aww, but you can't send me back to my horrible dimension," Kevin said with fake innocence. "It's horrible back there."

"It will and it must! We don't want any more infections."

"Marco has gone sick because of him!" Star said. "I need to know how to make him better."

"Well, Star, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do," the Queen said solemnly.

"But _he_ can," the King put in. "If he gets at least one more week of rest, he should be able to be a little well."

"Oh." Star almost sighed in relief. Was that really all?

"If he takes another bite of the spider though…"

"He'll die?"

"Well…no. Let's save this explanation for some other time."

"But you have to keep the spider away from your friend now," the Queen warned. "You have to be sure he doesn't take any more bites!"

"You got it, Mom!" Star promised. "I guess I can keep this up for a week!"

"If you really care about your friend, you will. Remember to update! Ta-ta, darling!"

With that, they were gone.

"So, I guess you're gonna get rid of me now, huh Princess?" Kevin said.

Star looked at it sternly. "You bet I am."

"You're going to kill it?"

Star turned to her door and was surprised to see Marco. He had a blanket around his shoulders and he looked even more deathly paler than usual. Star held back a gasp. "Marco! You're supposed to be in bed!"

"I won't let you!"

Before she could even know what's happening, Marco lunged at Star and wrestled her to the ground. His eyes were dead set on the jar in her hand, and it was as if he was hungrily reaching for it.

Star had to kick him away for that. "What's wrong with you, Marco?!" she shouted.

But the boy wouldn't listen. He tried attacking again, using karate skills to punch and kick. Star could do nothing but dodge. She didn't want to _hurt_ him. So she just grabbed his fist instead. "Snap out of it!"

Marco only growled and threw her over his head, slamming the girl onto the floor. He tried punching at her face, but Star rolled away just in time and stood. There was more punching, but Star was only able to block him now.

Unfortunately, since she still carried the jar, Marco used the advantage to kick it out of her grasp. Star gasped, as he leaped up in glee and reached for the spider.

" _Stretchy Arm Grab!"_ A long arm extended from Star's wand, catching the jar before Marco did and handing it back to her. That only made Marco angrier, as he started to fall back to the ground, foot extended.

Star leapt away before Marco could stomp on her. _"Slippery Ice Floor!"_ As Marco tried to lunge again, he yelped when he suddenly started to slip on the floor, heading straight for the wall.

But he managed a counter by running up the wall, doing a little back flip and land on the other side of the room safely. He lunged for Star one last time, his fist reared back…

" _Wait!"_ He had to freeze when Star made a stop motion, skidding him to a halt. There was silence for a while, with only the duo's slow panting.

"I'll make you a deal!"

Those words seemed to snap Marco out of it completely. "A deal?"

"I'll let the spider live."

"I'm listening."

"But you have to let me keep it."

Marco looked like he was about to protest, but he forced himself to hesitate. "…OK."

"Wow, that was easy," Star laughed lightly, twirling her wand.

"You better be careful with him."

"Marco, you should be more worried about _yourself_ than the spider."

Marco only grumbled as he exited the room. "I told you before, Star! I'm _fine!_ "

Was he joking?

* * *

 **I have to admit, I wasn't being so serious about this chapter haha. But I still hope it's good enough! Remember to rate it and review what you think! Just no hates please :) Also, if any of you like Penn Zero: Part-time Hero, be sure to check out my other fic on it! It would be really appreciated.**

 **One more thing: I'm not going to be updating my fic for a while. Give me more or less a week? I have school coming up, plus a big trip planned. I won't be able to have time to write for a while. I do hope you guys understand. My stats have really been lowering and it's really bumming me out :( I promise I'll be back! I just really hope I get betters stats by the time I write the next chapter...**

 **Read on, readers. See you soon ^^**


	7. The Madness Realm

**Chapter 7: The Madness Realm**

* * *

 **I'm baaaack~**

 **I'm gonna admit, I did not think about this fanfic at** _ **all**_ **on my one-week vacation. But I was glad to see some new progress in it! I'm gonna do my best to make this chapter worth the wait! I'm just sorry it all seemed so rushed, but I still hope it's good enough!**

 **Read on, readers!**

* * *

The week came by a little faster than Star had expected.

She did her best to keep the Dream Spider in her grasp at all times. She obeyed Marco's wishes and stayed away from him the entire week. Star managed to keep up with school duties and had gone back to fighting Ludo. Unfortunately for her, he was in higher spirits at those moments.

"Soon, Star Butterfly!" he cried out one morning. "You _will_ meet your doom!"

Those words did _not_ make the week any better.

To make things worse, the rumors have been spreading around that Marco was going insane because of his sickness. From someone who was once popular had gone down to the gossip level. It wasn't that big of a rumor to worry about, but people talked about it from time to time. And Star couldn't do anything about it.

She had been so focused on Marco that she forgot about some other things to worry about. One day, she was just placing the spider jar in her locker when Jackie came skating by.

"Hey, Star," the girl greeted.

The blonde gasped slightly, slammed her locker door shut, and gave a nervous smile. "Hi, Jackie!" she greeted back with false happiness. "What's up, girl?"

"Listen, um…is Marco still sick?"

Star nodded, her smile slowly fading. "Yeah, he still is…but don't worry! We're trying to get him better~ You'll see him in no time!"

Jackie suddenly sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that… Look, Star, I know you're his friend and all, but I gotta tell you. It's…not really working out."

Star frowned. "Huh?"

"Ever since he asked me to be his girlfriend…well, you know the rumors."

"Psh, I've heard plenty of rumors!"

"Yeah, but…it's hard to explain. You wouldn't understand."

"You're right. I don't." It was hard for Star not to get mad at the moment, but was she saying what she thought she was saying?

"I'd go and tell him myself…but I guess even you can't get closer to him now. But when you can…tell him I'm sorry."

"Wait, Jackie," Star found herself interrupting. "Marco's a really nice guy! When he's all better, I'm sure you guys can work things out!"

Jackie only frowned and avoided eye contact. "I'm sorry, Star. But I really don't think so."

With those final words, she walked away.

Star just stood there for a moment, trying to process what just happened. "Did she just dump Marco through me?..."

The entire week, Kevin the spider had been trying to get through Star, trying to pull in conversations and small talk about dimensions. But the girl refused to speak to the very being that started all of this. He never missed a chance to be annoying, though.

When the week ended, it suddenly became the peak of the matter. Star entered her room and dumped her bag on the floor, Kevin's bag falling out of it. He'd gotten so used to the jar that he now used it like a mobile home. "Hey, princess," he called. "Know what time is it? I think it's Crazy-Marco o'clock. Better check on him before he pounces again!"

As usual, Star ignored it. She just reached under bed and started skimming through her wand's manual pages. Kevin rolled up to her foot. "Watcha even doin'?"

"Trying to find a spell to get you to be quiet."

"Hahaha! Nice one! Too bad that will never happen."

"Look, Mr. Spider Guy!"

"It's Kevin."

"I never wanted this to happen to my friend! This whole thing started with _you!"_

"And you look, princess. I was just doing what I had to do. Dream Spiders are like drug dealers. You pay us, we give you the meth."

"That is very confusing."

"And we also keep quiet about our clients! We're not allowed to blab about what we do to anyone."

"What information could _you_ possibly keep?'

"Well, it's true I don't know the cure…But I could tell you a thing or two about what would happen to Dream Spider victims."

"You mean like…what would happened to Marco?"

"Mm. Wouldn't you at least like to know a little preview of what could happen to your friend?"

"Uh, yeah! Why didn't you say so in the past few days?!"

"Eh, you were more fun to annoy." This spider really was infuriating. "But I _can't_ give you information, right? Unless…"

"Unless?"

"You pay us, of course."

Star suddenly bolted upright, pointing a finger at the spider rather accusingly with a death glare on her face. "If you think you ever plan on biting me, it's not going to happen! You're not going to brain-damage me like you did Marco!"

"Whoa, whoa, princess. Dream Spiders don't get _anything_ from a bite. Just plain hard cash would do."

"But I don't have any money."

"Too bad for you then."

Star groaned. She _needed_ the information Kevin kept. But he thought he had her in control when Star's magic mirror started to ring.

"It's my parents!" she exclaimed, a little panicked. "Mom can't see you a third time!"

Kevin the spider could only squint his beady little eyes in annoyance as Star shoved him back into her bag. Trying to regain composition, she answered the mirror call. "Mom? Dad?"

"Hello, dear," King Butterfly greeted. "How have you been?"

"Uh, fine, fine…"

"How is your friend, Star?" Queen Butterfly asked immediately. "Is he still—"

"I've kept the spider away from him, Mom," Star interrupted, rather proudly. "He should be fine, like you said!"

Queen Butterfly only raised an eyebrow. "Kept it away? So you _did_ dispose of it finally?"

Star laughed nervously. "Well, uh, not technically—"

"Did you even do anything to it, or get information out of it, in the past week?" the King added.

"N-No, but I—"

"Star, have you even checked on your friend at all?"

The girl did not reply. _'Oh, boy.'_

Suddenly, she heard a loud growl coming from the hall. Star whirled around, eyes widening at the sound. The King and Queen were just as surprised as she was.

"Uh…" Star said awkwardly. "I'll call you back, guys!" She quickly ended the mirror call and sprinted out of her room.

The growl seemed to be coming from Marco's room. And it was getting louder and louder. "Oh, this isn't good…." With Marco being the only one in there, Star feared for the worst.

But she braced for cover and slowly opened the door.

It was a bad idea. Everything was a blur, but she saw a flash of brown and red lunge at her. Star screamed, ducking from the attack, but the creature only zoomed past her. He growled again and ran away, heading for her room.

Star tried to process what just happened. "What the heck was that?!" she shouted to no one in particular. Taking her wand, she ran back to her room.

Whatever the creature was, it acted fast. Star's room was like a ruin in seconds. The curtains and bed sheets were torn, the books got knocked off the shelves. Her stuff was scattered around. The entire room practically turned upside down and back again. But Star wasn't focusing on that. Right now, she stared in horror at the creature before her.

" _Marco?"_

Her friend looked like nothing from what he looked like before. His skin was a deadly pale, and his pupils were dilated, like he hasn't seen the sun in months. What used to be a mop of healthy brown hair was now a battered, half-bald, torn mess. His clothes looked so ragged and old. It didn't help that Marco was thinning. It was as if they couldn't fit him anymore. And the rest of him was just a plain wreck. The boy she once knew as a friend could be nothing more than a monster now.

"Spider…" Marco mumbled, scratching at Star's pillows. "Spider!"

The sight broke Star's heart. She quickly ran over to him and grabbed his right hand, hoping to stop him. Feeling the delicate, small fingers in her hand only made it worse for her.

But then she saw what was on the back of it. What used to have just one spider bite was now occupied by dozens more. Her eyes widened at them, not believing what she was seeing.

Marco yanked his hand away before she had the chance to. "Don't touch them!" he hissed.

Star frowned, reaching a hand out in reassurance, only to have Marco backing away and hissing again. "Marco…what _happened_ to you?"

Marco tried to steady his breaths, but it appears that panting was the only way for him to. "Need…the power…I need it!"

That's when it hit her. "You've been taking Kevin from me while I was away from him, weren't you?!"

"Can't always…wait until nighttime…" Marco continued to search the room, growling louder the more he couldn't find the jar.

Star bit back a gasp as he quickly got her bag off the floor. Why Marco didn't check there first, I don't know. "How long has this been going on exactly? How long have you been getting bites?"

"Once…"

"OK…"

"A day…"

"What."

"For the past three weeks."

"Marco!"

"Give me spider!" Marco growled again and lunged at Star's bag.

Despite her reluctance, she swung it right at his face, knocking him to the ground. He whimpered and shook the stress off, but not fast enough for Star to act first.

" _Rope Restraint Blast!"_ She waved her wand at Marco.

Ropes appeared around him and held the boy to the ground. Marco yelled and struggled to break free, but the ropes wouldn't let him. Star used the opportunity to call her parents back.

"Mirrormirroronthewallcallmyparents!"

"You really messed up big time, princess," Kevin chuckled as he rolled out of the bag.

"No thanks to you!" Star shouted back, picking the jar up.

"Star, _what_ is going on?!" Queen Butterfly demanded. When the royals saw Marco, they gasped.

"Let go!" Marco shrieked, still struggling.

"Mom, Dad," Star pleaded. "What should I do?"

"You should've disposed of the spider since the beginning, Star!" the King scolded.

"I know, I know! I'll do it now!"

" _No!"_ Marco yelled again.

"You heard the boy," Kevin said, rather calmly. "Don't kill me."

"I will!" Star shouted back. She tossed the jar into the air, bringing her wand out. "You've caused enough trouble!"

"Well!" the Dream Spider laughed. "It was nice knowing you two. If the boy dies, make sure he sends me a visit from hell."

" _Shut up!"_

She sent a blast from her wand, letting it hit directly at the jar. There was a little explosion and the occurrence of some smoke. When it died down, the spider in the jar was gone.

" _No!"_ Marco was hysterical now, squirming and struggling like a real animal. "I needed it!"

"No, you don't Marco!" Star shouted back. "Look at what it did to you!"

"It gave me everything! But now I need it again! So I can get the girl I love back!"

Those words hurt, but Star was confused of something. "Wait, how did you know Jackie broke up with you?"

" _I saw it! I saw it happen!"_

"It's as worse as we thought," King Butterfly suddenly said.

"Dad?"

"I'm afraid it's too late for your friend now, Star," the Queen declared.

"But it can't be, Mom! There has to be another way!"

"Well…" the King hesitated. "There _is_ one—"

"But it's too dangerous!" the Queen interrupted. "We won't allow you to!"

Star bit her lip. "Just tell me what it is. What happened to Marco?"

"It's simple, dear," King Butterfly said stoically. "His soul is slipping away. Insanity rises to his head, leaving nothing more than a mindless piece of flesh. In just hours now, the Marco you knew will no longer be in this world. He will be something even worse than dead."

Star tried not to gasp. She bit her lip more, just close enough to make it bleed. "This…this _can't_ be happening."

"His soul is already taking a journey to the Madness Realm," the Queen explained. "There, it will be devoured by the River of Spirits. It will be too late for it to turn back now."

Just then, Star got an idea. "The Madness Realm is a dimension?"

"Of course it is!" the King exclaimed. "Souls may take a longer time for it to travel, but that's because it goes through dimensions. And the Madness Realm is one of the deepest dimensions of them all. No creature has ever went and gone back alive."

"Which is why we _forbid_ you to risk your life for some _boy's_ soul!"

' _Go to the Realm. Travel to the River. Retrieve Marco's soul before it gets there.'_

"He's not just _some boy_ , Mom," Star said slowly, looking up at her parents. There was a little glint of seriousness in her eyes. "He's my best friend."

Before the parents could exclaim, Star ended the call.

She turned back to the struggling mess that was Marco and looked at him pitifully. He was still in hysterics, yelling bloody murder and wanting to be free. No matter how much she wanted to, Star had to restrain herself. This would all be for him. She would save Marco. Star had made her decision now.

And there was no turning back.

* * *

 **Yay! I finally uploaded this! I admit, I'm not so sure if this is truly how I originally planned it out. I accidentally left my fanfic files at home. But no matter! I think it turned out pretty good, don't you think? :) Again, sorry if it seems rushed :( I'll edit it when I have the time!**

 **Hope you liked it guys, and I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter! I sure hope my stats get a little better too. Remember to rate and review~ See ya!**


	8. Slipping Away

**Chapter 8: Slipping Away**

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Author's note time.**

 **Listen, I've been really bummed out these past few days. This time, it's not because of the lack of reviews. It's the lack of** _ **views.**_ **I don't know if people are actually reading this story and liking it or not. Frankly, I'm at least a little sure because I see some people reviewing. I sincerely thank those people :) But I really need inspiration. School is coming up for me, and I plan to finish this story right before I go to hell—I mean jail—I mean…yeaaah xD**

 **Just wanted ya'll to know I hope you guys really like this in your hearts. I'm not going to write an author's note at the end for I don't want to ruin the moment then. But I humbly thank all those who are reading this story. Leave a review, if you'd want to. I'd really appreciate it :)**

 **Read on, guys!**

* * *

That night, Star made sure to pack up everything they could need for the "trip". She practically stuffed all she had into her backpack. She made sure to hurry it up, though. How many more hours were left until Marco lost it? It didn't really help when said person was still struggling to break free of the ropes.

"Marco, shh!" Star scolded slightly. "We'll be able to get your sanity back, I promise."

" _Let go! Need power!"_

"That's the spirit!"

Just then, Star heard a knock on her door. "Hello, Star! I was just wondering if my Marco is with you! I hope he's not spreading his disease to you!"

Star panicked, calling out with a nervous tone. "E-Everything's fine, Mrs. Diaz! We're just, uh, playing a board game!" When Marco heard his mother's voice, he growled loudly. "Oh, uh, grrrrrr, Marco's really good at this one!"

"Ooh! Can I play too?"

" _No!_ I mean, nooo because we're…going to ne playing all night! Yeah!"

"Hmmm…all right! Have fun you two!" Star sighed in relief as she heard her footsteps walking away.

"OK," she said, bringing her dimensional scissors out. "We don't have much time. Let's do this."

She cut up a portal and enlarged it. The first thing she saw there were lots and lot of red rocks and sand. To top it off, it was dark. It was as if daylight has never shone down upon the land.

But Star wasn't the least bit intimidated. If anything, she was determined. "Come on, Marco!"

Unfortunately for her companion, he was quite the opposite. "No! Me stay!"

"Don't be afraid, Marco! I'm here for you!"

" _I not go with Star!"_

"Oh, you're just sayin' that 'cause you're all wack in the head. Your soul isn't going to come back on its own!"

" _Let me go!"_

Star sighed. Marco wasn't going to budge any further. All he wanted was more "power". He didn't feel like he wanted to return to normal any sooner. Unless…

"Oh, Marco~" Star sang. "If you go into this dimension now, you might find another Dream Spider~"

That caused Marco to snap up and stop moving. "…Spider?"

"Yeah…" she promise, proceeding to untie him. "The faster we the um…Soul Spider, the faster you can get more 'power'!"

" _Power!"_ At the moment he was finally free, Marco let out a rage of happiness, got on all fours, and leapt through the portal.

Star grinned proudly to herself as she shouldered her bag. That was one problem done. Now for the hard part.

"Time to go~"

She followed Marco and went into the Realm.

* * *

The moment she was in the dimension, Star gasped. It was worse than what she expected, or even saw back from Earth. The Madness Realm was like _hell._ There were wildfires everywhere, and demon-like aliens were running around screaming. There were these red flowers that looked like they were the ones causing the fires. But even that seemed to be normal there. It was burning hot, and at the same time freezing cold. Star could only stare in shock at the very area she had just entered in.

"Whoa," Star murmured. "I can see this is where the insane go to…"

The blonde girl suddenly perked up when she saw Marco scampering around, continuing to breathe heavily as he sniffed flowers.

"Where…spider…"

Star sighed and walked over to him. "Come on, Marco, we still need to—"

" _Spider!"_

"Marco! Seriously!"

The boy only let out another shout of rage.

' _He just won't shut it,'_ Star thought.

Star brought her wand out again and used it to make a collar wrap around his neck. When the boy saw it, he yelled louder and tried taking it off. Star picked the leash up and frowned.

"Sorry Marco, but if you're going to return to normal, you need to do what _I_ say! We have to hurry, before your soul's lost for good!"

The lunatic only yelled again. _"Let. Go!"_

"Oh, relax! I believe I know where I'm going!"

* * *

"No, I do not!"

They weren't even close to their destination. At least, it felt like it to Star. They were just walking straight, and they already found themselves lost.

"Two hours here, and _I'm_ going insane!" Star grumbled, sitting on a rock. "This is _not_ working out." She sighed in defeat. "We're never going to make it…"

In all honesty, she was close to giving up.

Marco had chosen to follow Star the entire time (he had no choice, since she kept tugging on the leash), but now he got distracted again. An alien butterfly somehow came flying in and landed on a fire flower.

"Bug…spider!" he cried out.

As the butterfly flew off, Marco yelped and tried catching it. Suddenly, the leash broke and Marco was free again. He eagerly followed the butterfly through more flowers.

" _Come here!"_

"Marco, stop!" Star cried, jumping up and joining the chase. "Spiders and butterflies aren't the same bug!"

But he wasn't even paying attention. "Someone save me!" the butterfly squeaked as it dove into the flowers.

Marco quickly dove after it. _"Give power!"_

" _Marco!"_ Star quickly reached out, took Marco by the hood of his hoodie and made another leash.

" _Argh!"_

"Bad completely insane lunatic boy!" Star scolded. Marco actually whimpered at that.

When Star looked up from him, her eyes suddenly widened when she came across a certain, three-eyed demon "watering" the fire flowers.

"Oh, boy."

The demon boy looked away from his "watering" and his mouth creeped into a wide smile. "Star!"

The blonde only groaned. "Not cool. Not cool at all." She took a deep breath and sighed. "Hi Tom."

She was surprised when he suddenly enveloped her in a hug. "So you came to visit!"

"Uhhh, no," Star said, pushing him off and glaring. "I'm here on some very serious and important business."

Tom looked at her for one second before suddenly bursting into laughter. She glared again and crossed her arms. "Hahaha! You? Doing something serious and important? Haha! _Impossible!"_ He cleared his throat when Star suddenly stepped back at "demon mode".

"…Yeah, this is why we broke up. Why would I visit you? I didn't even know you lived here!"

"Oh, no, I don't. I come here sometimes. It's peaceful for me."

"…Really? You call _insane_ peaceful?" Tom just blinked. "…Yep. Perfect place for the insane to go to."

"Why are _you_ here then?"

"I told you. On some serious and important biz." Star lifted the leash, tugging on Marco again, who growled loudly. "Tom, Marco. Marco, Tom."

" _Power?!"_ Marco shrieked.

"No, he doesn't have 'power', Marco."

"Is this your human boyfriend?" Tom asked.

Star felt a blush grown on her cheeks as he asked that. "Whaaat? Pffft, no. He's my best friend!"

Tom nodded. "Good, good. _Because I would never allow it!"_ He cleared his throat again and Star rolled her eyes. "Let me guess…Dream Spider, lost soul, and you wanna get it back?"

"How did you know that?"

"Please, Star. I'm a demon. I know insanity when I see it. I take it you're looking for the River of Spirits?"

"Yeah, but we've gone nowhere close to a water source for two hours! We're getting lost, and Mr. No-Soul here ain't making things any better."

Star pointed at Marco, who was trying to force the butterfly to bite him.

"Yikes. Well, have no fear, Star! Your boyfriend—"

"Ex."

"—Ex-boyfriend is here to help you out! I know the Madness Realm like the back of my hand! I can show you the way to the River."

The blonde grinned widely. "Really?"

" _Unless…"_

"Uh-oh."

"Of course, I need something return."

"This isn't gonna be good."

"A kiss."

" _What?!"_

"You heard me."

Star sighed again and rubbed her temple. "Tom, we're not together anymore!"

"I know, I know, but just one kiss is all I ask! Nothing more."

She honestly wanted to Narwhal Blast him in the face. But Star really needed his help. She looked over at Marco, who was already trying to eat the butterfly. There were only a few more minutes left until Marco went goodbye. She needed to hurry it up.

"All right," she gave in. "Fine. One kiss."

Tom grinned, closed his eyes, and leaned forward.

But Star had suddenly gotten a mischievous smile on her face. She leaned towards him, lips puckered…and quickly pecked his cheek.

"Awww, Star!" the demon boy complained.

"What~ I gave you a kiss~"

"Yeah, but I was hoping on the—"

"Next time, you better be specific~" _'Thank you loopholes!'_

Star half-expected Tom to explode or something, but he only sighed. "OK, fine. The River is actually on the other side of the Realm. If you keep going east, you'll make it. But you have to hurry. Marco _has_ to get there in less than ten minutes to retrieve his soul."

"But that's going to be impossible!" Star cried. "We're never going to get all the way to the other side of the world in time!"

"Don't you have a spell that could do so?"

Star hesitated, trying to get a run through her spells. "Well, I suppose I do," Her eyes then lit up. "Yeah, I do! Thanks, Tom!"

"I better get a _proper_ kiss next time!"

"Can't promise that! Let's go, Marco!"

" _Eh?"_ The boy looked up from eating a flower, looking confused as Star took him by the arm.

" _Double Mega Super Bouncy Bunny Blast!"_

Before Marco could even tell what was going on, he screamed as Star blasted them over to the other side of the Realm.

* * *

Once they landed, Marco moved away from Star and glared. "Are you crazy?! We could have died!"

For a second, Star thought she got her friend back. But she hoped too soon. When he suddenly saw another garden.

" _More flower!"_ He walked towards the patch and munched,

Star sighed and turned towards the river. She peered into the water and her eyes widened at the many human figure-like souls that were practically swimming in there. They all had deadpan looks on their faces. And that creeped Star out.

"All right, Marco, where are you?"

"Looking for something, Princess?"

Star suddenly looked up to see Ludo on the other side of the River. In his hand, he held a small glass bottle, and through it, she recognized a certain something.

"Marco's soul!"

Star made a giant risk leap over to the other side and attempted to reach for it, but Ludo kept it away. "Nah-uh!" he said, grinning evilly. " _I_ have the pitiful soul you desire! But if you want it, you'll have to _hand over your wand!"_

Star glared, pointing at him. "I'm _never_ going to give it to you!"

"Not even if I _destroy_ this soul?"

"Tempting, yes. But still no!"

" _Fine!_ Then you'll just have to _take it from me!"_

"Ha! Well, that'll be easy."

Just as soon as she said that, Ludo's goone somehow dropped in, growling and smirking as they surrounded Star. The blonde stared in horror, for there were certainly way much more monsters than before.

She was in _so_ much trouble.

"GET HER!"

" _Narwhal Tornado Blast!"_

As Star spun and hit the monsters with narwhals, she jumped up as some fell and landed on a monster's head as she kicked it down. The others managed to recover and lunge at her.

" _Rainbow Fists of Fury!"_

The monsters roared as they got punched to the floor. But the back-up was just ready to come in. Star smirked and jumped onto another monster's head, doing a little flip in the process.

" _Glitter Bomb Distraction Mist!"_

All of them started to cough as the mist covered their eyes. Star landed back on the ground, but she yelped when she ended up on the River's edge. She did her best to keep her balance as she stared down at the murky, soulful water. _"Whoa!"_

"Come, come," they seemed to whisper. Star gulped and got a grip on the ground.

That time she was trying to save herself, the monsters had already recovered from the mist and had gone back to attacking. "Could use a little help here!" Star shouted out.

But Marco wasn't even budging. He continued to rub his hand protectively, eat flowers, and chew his feet. Disgusting, but then again, he was not in the right mind at the moment.

' _I gotta get Marco to fight,'_ Star thought as she kicked down more monsters. _'If I tricked him once, I can trick him again!'_

"Hey, Marco!" Star called. "See that little weird alien bird over there?"

Marco looked over from his eating and took one glance at Ludo. "Ehhh?"

" _He's_ got your power! Take that bottle he has!"

" _Power!"_

Marco let out a shriek, took one giant leap over the river and lunged at Ludo. _"No!"_ the bird shrieked.

But Buff Frog guarded Ludo and took Marco by his hoodie. This made Marco severely furious and started scratching at the monster like a cat.

" _Agghh! Get him off, get him off!"_

"Go, Marco!" Star cheered. "Get your power! _Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast!"_

There was a brief explosion, and butterflies had attacked the monsters. Most of them were all dizzy and had already given up. But there were still _some_ monsters that didn't. Star was already panting at that moment.

Once Marco was sure Buff Frog was down, he used his karate skills to beat down some of the others monsters. _"Hyah!"_

Star had to smile a bit as he went all fight-crazy this time. This gave Star a bit of confidence.

" _Crystal Dagger Heart Hurricane!"_

The monsters got attacked with love and pain as Star and Marco continued to punch, kick, and cast spells. Just like old times.

" _Narwhal Blast!"_

" _Hah!"_

" _Rainbow Fist Punch!"_

" _Gyah!"_

" _Jellybean Hallucination Mist!:_

" _Power!"_

" _You fools!"_ Ludo was screaming. _"Get them!_ Victory is supposed to be mine! Get them, get them, get them!"

Suddenly, Marco found an opening and growled happily. He lunged for Ludo and pinned him to the ground. "Hold on!" the bird shrieked. "Get off of me!"

" _Give me power!"_

Marco took the glass bottle off of his hands and held it up eagerly. _"Yes! Yes!"_

"Open it, Marco!" Star encouraged for once.

" _NOOOO!"_

Ludo did the only thing he could do. He pushed Marco into the River.

" _MARCO!"_

Growing red with anger, Star turned to all the monsters and glared daggers into them. The hearts on her cheeks turned into skulls as they all gulped at the look on her face.

It was an expression of pure anger.

" _Mystic Room Suck Transport!"_

A portal suddenly opened up, with no one having no idea where it would be heading. All the monsters shrieked and tried running away. But they all ended up sucked into it.

"No!" Ludo was shrieking. "Victory was mine! I could have gotten the wand! I'll get this for you someday _Star Butterfly!"_

Those were his final words as he and his goons got sucked in. The portal disappeared shortly after.

Where they would end up in was the least of Star's worries. Without thinking, she just jumped into the River.

The first thing Star noticed was how she had a hard time breathing. Sure, it was water, but it was as if all the life was being sucked out of her. She did her best to take in some air, as she swam for Marco's body.

Both him and his soul bottle were sinking slowly into the water. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully, but Star knew that wasn't the reason. She swam deeper in, hoping to reach him. All the souls had started to surround his body, as if welcoming him into the afterlife.

"Marco!" Star managed to yell. She reached forward, continuing to swim in. For the faintest moment, she could've sworn she saw him open his eyes.

And he reached his own hand out.

That gave Star confidence. She tried holding her breath some more, not minding how much she needed air at the moment. Their hands were just meters apart, ready to touch.

Then Star intertwined their fingers.

She pulled Marco closer to him, taking him away from the souls and took the bottle. She quickly opened it, and she watched as Marco's lost soul came flowing out of it and into his half-open mouth. Marco took a deep breath, his eyes still closed.

Star was more than happy to feel his heart beat.

She swam back up to the surface, dodging all the souls and making her way back to the land. She took a giant gulp of air, coughing a little as she hauled both herself and Marco back onto shore. She laid Marco's body onto the ground, not helping her wide grin.

"We did it, Marco!" she shouted out. She looked at him, expecting him to open his eyes and cheer as well.

But she got no response.

"Hey…Marco, wake up." Star shook him a little, thinking he'd wake up again. Still nothing. She checked his pulse, and was glad it was still there. But he was barely breathing.

"Marco? Say something! Marco? Marco!"


	9. Asleep

**Chapter 9: Asleep**

* * *

 **Aw guys haha thank you all really :) I'm glad to know there are people reading. But even if there aren't…I guess I'm fine, you know? Writing is my life. If people don't like my work, I'll always find a way to improve. But here's everyone's reward for being kind and sticking by this story! ^^ Not to spoil, but this is where the real romance happens~ (Why everyone decides to do it at the last minute, I don't know. Yet I still roll with that xP) Speaking of, sorry for the cliffhanger at the last one! Can't really tell the difference anymore haha xD I feel like this chapter will be super short, but hey! It's the ninth chapter. We're almost close to the end of the fic!**

 **Ya'll know what to do. Read on, everyone!**

* * *

Star had to carry Marco all the way back home. Nothing that could possibly wake him up now worked. When Star got back to Earth, she had to explain everything to the Diaz's. They just gasped at the story and immediately brought Marco to the hospital. When the doctors asked about what happened, Star was forced to tell them the truth too. Well, most of the truth. No one really believed her when she said, "they had to get Marco's soul." She just "danced around the truth" and said what was truly important and went along with whatever they might believe. But the truth didn't help as well.

"This is a case we've never faced before," one doctor said, as they finished a short check-up on Marco. "This might take a while. But we can ensure your son will be just fine."

Unfortunately, that didn't make Star feel any better. "This is all my fault…" she muttered as they watched the boy being placed in a hospital room. "Maybe I wasn't looking out for him well enough…"

"Oh, Star," Mrs. Diaz frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do not say that! You did everything you can to help Marco!"

"That's right!" Mr. Diaz added. "He doesn't deserve a better friend than you."

Even _that_ didn't cheer Star up.

The days started to pass by. Rumors started to spread again about Marco and his coma. This time, it was a fatal topic, especially for Star. No one talked about him in front of the blonde, especially at her most frustrated. Most times, she didn't even focus on her studies anymore. The teachers decided to just leave it at that, claiming Star would see reason one day.

But some of the students knew better. They knew how close Star was with Marco. A lot of people saw that now, with Marco being so popular from his "fortune-telling". But now that that was gone, the rumors slowly died down within the week. Most of them just didn't care. But Marco _did_ have some true friends.

"Hey, Star," Ferguson and Alfonzo greeted the girl one day at her locker.

"Oh," Star turned to them and forced a smile. "Hey guys! What's up?"

"We were just wondering about Marco," Ferguson said. "Is he doing any better?"

"Ah, not really… Just the usual. Knocked out, barely moving a muscle."

"Well, we just wanna visit him one day!" Alfonzo put in. "If that's all right with you! If you could tell us the hospital address…"

Star's eyes widened slightly and slowly smiled. "That'd be fantastic. If Marco was awake, he'd love that."

' _He'd have more visitors other than me.'_

As Star gave them the address and they walked away thanking her, the blonde had to smile to herself a little. _'It's a good thing Marco has true friends around here…'_

The Marco business wasn't over yet. A few more days passed and Marco was _still_ in a coma, Jackie had come up to Star. It was just before classes started and they were already in the room. But the blonde was confused when she saw the girl.

"Jackie? Can I help you? I'm not good at math, you know…"

"Oh, no, Star," Jackie said, waving a hand. The blonde then noticed the sad look on her face. "Listen, I—"

"Hold up! The last time you started a sentence with 'Listen', you broke up with Marco. Through me! I mean, who does that?"

"Oh, um…about that…I'm really sorry, Star—"

"Don't apologize to me! You should say sorry to Marco! He actually found out himself about how you broke up with him! It really hurt him, Jackie."

"I know, I know…that's why I'm gonna make it up to him."

Now Star was confused. "Huh?"

"I want to apologize. Up close. Would you mind…if I visited him sometime this week with you?"

With her depressed face, Star couldn't bring herself to say no. "Of course! He'd love to see you! You know, if he was awake!"

Jackie looked at her and smiled. "Awesome. How about we do this—"

"After school? It _is_ Friday."

"Great! See you later."

The girl jogged back to her seat before Star could change her mind.

The girls walked their way to the hospital afterwards. It had become a daily routine for Star to go there everyday now. She never missed a single day, and she was OK with doing so. Some times, she would just sit by Marco's bed and tell him about the day. And it was a bit peaceful, despite knowing he couldn't answer back. Something in her heart told her he was always listening… Still, Star didn't want to miss the moment Marco opened his eyes again. Unfortunately, that moment didn't come too sooner. And definitely not on that particular day.

Star opened the door to Marco's hospital room and saw the boy lying there as usual. The treatment he had been taking was working well. His muscles were strengthening again and he was slowly returning back to his normal form. But that didn't help his coma at all, though. The two walked forward to get a closer look and suddenly realized they weren't alone.

"Ferguson? Alfonzo?" Star asked.

"Hey Star!" the two greeted, as they turned from their kneeling position and waved. . "Hey, Jackie!"

"What are—"

"We told you we'd visit Marco!" Alfonzo said happily. "Surprise!"

"Don't worry, we'll be outta your hair in just a sec!" Ferguson promised.

"Uh, no, no," Jackie said awkwardly. "Take all the time you need…"

The two boys turned to their friend and somehow got tears in their eyes. "Well, Marco," Alfonso said, sniffing. "We never thought we'd end up by your side like this…!"

Ferguson blew on a tissue. "I'll never forget how safe-conscious you were…and how much you denied it!"

"We will miss you buddy!"

The two burst out crying as they hugged each other and wept beside Marco's bed. Though the boy still didn't stir, Star was confused. "Guys! You know he's not dead, right?"

"…Oh yeah! We forgot!" Alfonzo grinned. "Well, bud, we hope you wake up soon!"

"Hope the hospital food isn't that bad! See ya!"

The two then stood and casually walked out the room. "Take care of him, Star!" Alfonzo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see you in school!" With that, the two left.

The two girls just stood there in silence for a bit. Jackie pointed at the door. "Those two…Marco's friends, right?"

"Yeah…there's a reason why they only have each other."

Jackie finally walked up to the sleeping boy and gazed upon him sadly. Marco's breathing was steady, but the sight still wasn't pretty. Jackie sighed as she touched his cold, frail hand and felt it around in her own.

"I feel like this is all my fault," she muttered. "Maybe if I hadn't broken up with him—"

"No, Jackie," Star interrupted. "You had nothing to do with this! If anything, it's _my fault._ I knew about the Sp—I mean, what was going on with him. I just didn't do anything about it…"

"If it's not my fault, then it's not yours either Star. Whatever caused Marco to be this way is _their_ fault. I'm sure you had nothing to do with this either."

' _Oh, Jackie, if only you knew.'_

The girl then turned back to sleeping Marco and forced a smile. "Hey, Marco…this is kind of weird, even for me, but…well, I had to see you…to tell you I'm sorry…I only broke up with you because I didn't give you a chance…this relationship is my fault…and I'm sorry." She paused for a brief moment before sighing. "The truth is, I found someone else…Oskar Greason—"

" _Ahem!"_ Jackie suddenly turned around to find Star harshly coughing. Maybe Jackie wasn't aware, but the blonde _did_ have a crush on Oskar. She'd been so busy with Marco, Star hadn't even heard about this. Jackie looked at her, and Star smiled sheepishly. "Sorry! Continue~"

"…I think I really belong with him. I really had fun with you Marco, but you have to understand…I think you're better off with someone better than me." At those words, Star found herself frowning as she looked at the girl. She really was sorry… "OK, that's all for now. I'll…see you, Marco. Thanks again."

Jackie stood up, pausing for a moment. She stared down at Marco, as if hoping for one sign.

But got nothing.

"I'm sorry, Jackie," Star said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, Star. _I'm_ sorry. Marco's _really_ lucky, you know?"

"Why? Because he gets all this visiting treatment?"

"No. He has a friend like you." Star just stared. It wasn't as if this was the first time she'd been told that. "As in, seriously. _You're_ the one always there for Marco. You're by his side all the time. He's better off with _you_ than me."

It took a good long while before Star could process Jackie's words. By then, the girl was already smirking and out the door. "I'll come visit often again. See you next week, Star." And with that, she left.

Star just stood there in the hospital room for a while. Then she slowly turned to Marco again. She _was_ always there for Marco, and never wanted to leave his side. But that's because he was her best friend, right? She never imagined her being with Marco. He didn't even feel the same way about her…

The blonde then shook her head, telling herself not to worry about it.

"You _are_ lucky, Marco," she whispered to the boy. "To have friends like them… Please. Do it for them, do it for your family…do it for me. We all need you. Please wake up."

* * *

Three months had passed. Marco had barely changed. He was still in the hospital room, still in his coma. This time, most of his schoolmates barely cared. His popularity diminished before Star could even tell. Lucky for her, Marco still had her, Ferguson, Alfonzo, and Jackie. And with those four, they got some other close people to visit at least once or twice. Marco's parents had the whole family come over as well, just to take a little peek and say a little prayer. Almost everyone had their chance at words.

Nothing improved, and nothing went worse. You would think the adults were doing nothing at all to try to do so. But the signals told them all that he was still in there. It was hard to tell if he struggled to wake up or not. But even if he wasn't trying, everyone else tried for him. Everyone was by Marco's side, even if he didn't plan on wanting to. They just kept hoping and hoping, that inside, he was fighting. It was really hard to tell. For all they knew, he was just fast asleep.

Nobody suffered Marco's silence worse than Star. She had prayed and hoped the most, and she was there with Marco even more than her parents were. At school, she was nothing like the cheerful girl she always was. After the day, she would head over to the hospital immediately. Most weekends, she would spend the entire day by his bedside, either just trying to talk to him, or just hoping for him. No one was bothered by this or anything. They knew for a fact Star cared for the boy that she loved taking on for adventures with.

For the past three months, it was as if most of the students comforted her more. She was like a messenger, sending out their condolences to her. Star didn't mind, and just nodded her head at them all. Truthfully, she didn't think Marco deserved _their_ pities. But she _did_ listen to some certain wise people she knew.

"Marco's in a coma?" Flying Princess Pony Head exclaimed, as she had called Star one more time through the magic mirror. "That's terrible, girl! You doing all right?"

"I'm fine, Pony Head," Star sighed. "At least, I think I am…"

"Girl, when I get out of this prison, I swear I'm gonna poke your through the brain! Cheer up, B-fly! He'll wake up soon! And when he does, tell him I said hi!"

"Yeah…sure."

"You gotta stop moping around, girl! Think on the bright side! Have a little hope."

"I _do_ have hope, Pony Head! But it's not enough! What can I do? Marco's just…asleep!"

Pony Head only sighed. "I wish i was there, B-fly. But right now, you gotta be strong! Be strong for me, be strong for Marco! You better give him something to wake up for, and it better not be some depressed chick that blames herself for his coma!"

"Wow, Pony Head, that was a little harsh."

"Love you too, girl!"

Suddenly, Star saw her mirror ring. She checked the ID and said, "Oh, it's my parents. Again. Talk to you tomorrow, Pony?"

"If the security lets me! See ya, B-fly! Good luck! Remember what I s-" Before she could finished, Star answered her parent's call.

"Star, darling," Queen Butterfly immediately said. "Are you all right, dear? Have you-"

"Yeah, Mom, for the millionth time, I'm fine!" Star forced a smile. "Totally fine."

"No, you're not, Star," King Butterfly insisted. "You're still blaming yourself for your friend's fate, aren't you?"

"Dad! You sound like he just died! And no, I'm not, really! I just...I'm worried."

"Oh, Star, everyone is," Queen Butterfly said. "I mean, we're not, we barely know your friend. But you really do care about him, don't you?"

"Yeah, Mom...I do."

"It's only normal for a girl your age, Star. Your relationship will blossom in your lives in no time. And by then, he'll wake up."

Now, Star was really confused. "Wait, what? How did this-"

"Remember, Star," the King interrupted. "Love is the most powerful being of all. With it, you can accomplish anything."

"Dad, you're losing me right there."

"We just wanted to check in on you again and say this, dear," the Queen said. "But we really must be going now. Good luck, darling."

Before Star could even process what was going on, her parents left.

The blonde just stared blankly at the now empty mirror. What were her parents talking about? ...Until suddenly, it hit her.

It was just like what Jackie said. About her and Marco in a relationship. Great, even Star's parents thought so. But then again, this time Star hesitated...

For the past three months, she reflected on her thoughts. Her past actions _were_ signs of love. And though she worried for Marco, she was also the one who wanted him to wake up the most. But why was that? The past three months, she denied. But now, what should she be thinking?

And so Star continued to think this until she reached the hospital.

This time, the blonde paused just before she entered Marco's room. She took a deep breath, gripped the bouquet of flowers she held, and opened the door.

She didn't know what she was expecting. Marco to suddenly sit up in his bed and greet her? No, the boy just continued to sleep his never-ending sleep as always. His breaths were steadied, and his heart rate seemed normal. Oh, if only he was just normally sleeping. Star walked over and watched how the light complemented his brown hair and streamed down his face. Star didn't know why, but she thought it was cute.

A withered bouquet of flowers from last week sat in a vase at Marco's bedside table. "Heeey, Marco," Star called out. "Got you some flowers again! Hopefully, you'll be able to see them when you wake up." She replaced the dead bouquet with the fresh one as she sat down at the chair by Marco's bed.

The blonde looked at her friend's form. As usual, he didn't reply. But to Star, it was all right. "Sooo...funniest thing really! Pony Head and my parents called! As usual, they told me not to blame myself for...all this. Oh, they also hope you wake up! Yeah. Aaand, the funny thing is, my parents started talking about this...'relationship' between us! Haha! Pfft, yeah, what relationship?"

When she thought she should have been laughing, Star's smile then slowly faltered. "You know, Jackie said the same thing once...that we'd be good together. I wasn't so sure back then, because I didn't know how you'd feel about that...but now...well, it's all just so confusing. You're my best friend, Marco. We're always there for each other, no matter what. Right?"

Suddenly, Star sighed. "But I've been thinking. I feel like I want us to be much more. I know it sounds crazy, but I really _do_ care about you. Like, for real. I know you like Jackie, but I'm maybe starting to think about...yeah. This all might be so sudden, especially when you're asleep and all that, but I just have to tell you! And I guess I'm cool even if you don't like me back. But..."

Star bit her lip as she reached forward and felt Marco's hand in hers. She gripped it gently but tightly, not caring about how it didn't even grip hers back. "Marco, I'm worried. I feel like it will take much more than three months for you to wake up. But you know what? I'm good with that. Because at least I'll know you're still here. I don't want you to ever leave again. I don't want to see you get hurt. I promise, I'll always be here by your side! Even if it takes an entire century, I don't care! I'll be here for you because I love you. I love you Marco, and I'm never going to let you go again."

Just pouring everything out overwhelmed even Star herself. She bit her lip, fighting back tears as she buried her head in Marco's bed, silently letting tears fall as she continued to hold his hand.

And, at that very moment, for just the teeniest second, Star felt her hand being squeezed right back.

* * *

 **All right! Done with this chapter! And so it's almost time for the final one! I don't know when I'll be posting chapter 10, but I promise it will be soon! In the meantime, I hope you'll continue to read and review, guys! Still appreciating those who might favorite this story and will always look forward to more readers~ See ya'll, and hope you enjoy!**


	10. Nothing Changes

**Chapter 10: Nothing Changes**

* * *

 **And so it all comes to the final chapter! Yayyyy!  
**

 **This story had its ups and downs, but now it can come to its end. Thank you to all those who supported this by reading, reviewing, adding it to their favorites and follows, and whatnot. Remember, just because the story ended doesn't mean its fans can't! I say this all the time, but I'm always gonna be happy to hear more reviews and see people favoriting this story! I hope I'll be able to see some of you readers in my future fanfics too! If some of you may know, writing is my life. I'll never stop doing it!**

 **But let's all cherish this moment, shall we? It's Chapter 10! I think it's going to be short again, because yeah xP I'm not going to add an author's note at the end, so I'll just say now that I hope you liked this whole thing! It was really fun til it lasted! Hope you enjoy, and I hope you'll read on!**

* * *

 _Darkness. That was all Marco saw the entire time. Technically, he practically saw nothing. Whether he was awake or not, even that was hard to tell. He should be dead by now. Yet, he was still breathing. Marco didn't know where he was. He couldn't even remember what happened. He almost didn't know who he was. But he knew at that very moment his body was in the hospital. His inner conscious was stuck in a mysterious black abyss with no way out. He also knew this was all because of his doing. He knew everything was his own fault. And yet, he still gave in to the madness._

 _Time went by, but Marco couldn't tell what day it was now. How long has it been now…a day? A week? Still hard to find out. From the moment he got stuck in his never-ending slumber, his hearing from the outside world was dim. From time to time, he would hear voices from other people. He heard words of apology, which confused him. He heard words of prayer, which he yearned to fulfill. From time to time, he tried to see the light. But as usual, darkness was all he saw._

 _But then Marco heard one particular voice. A voice he felt like he should know. A voice that he heard all the time in every sleeping moment. Marco wanted to know the owner of this voice. The way it always talked to him was like music to him. And he always waited to hear it again. But this boy wanted more from it. This voice is what strived him to wake up. This is what strived him to try. Voices were always unclear to hear, but on one faithful day, Marco gave it his best. He knew if he opened his eyes, he would be able to hear clearly._

 _So one day, he managed a peek._

" _I'll be here for you!" he heard the voice say. "…I love you, and I'm never going to let you go again."_

'That voice,' _Marco thought. He knew it very well now. And now he wanted nothing more than to reach it._

 _He forced his eyelids to lift just a little bit more. From then, he finally, for the first time in months, saw light. He slowly lifted his arm up, wanting to touch the light. He could almost feel his body just rising up towards it. The closer he got, the more he felt something slip into his hand. It was small, warm, and soft. His fingers twitched, as if never wanting to let go._

 _He did the next thing he thought of and just squeezed it._

" _Marco? Marco! Marco!"_

 _Could this be it? Maybe it was finally time. The final moment of his awakening. And Marco could not be any happier inside._

 _With the light finally coming into full view, Marco's eyes popped wide open._

* * *

"Marco?!"

Star stared as she watched the brown-haired boy's eyes very slowly peek open. Marco managed a small groan as he looked at the blonde.

"S-S-Star?"

" _Marco!"_ The young girl couldn't help it. She jumped up from her seat and enveloped her best friend in a hug. "You're awake!"

"Star, I…" Marco stared at the blonde, blinking away his drowsiness. Once he'd gotten a hold of himself, he coughed. "Choking!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Star backed away, a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm _so_ glad you're finally—"

"Star, I'm sorry," Marco took the girl by her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "I heard everything. This isn't your fault, OK? It was mine. I pushed you away, and didn't care about what you thought. I only cared about myself and that was a dumb thing for me to do. I'm _really_ sorry."

Star stared at the boy for a while before breaking into a smile and putting her own hand on his shoulder. "Marco, it's fine. I'm just really glad you're all right!"

"Really? Even though I was a jerk to you…"

"Well, I guess I'm mad at that. But I forgive you!" Marco smiled at her. "And, um, just asking out loud here, but I don't suppose you heard what I said earlier—"

"Yeah. I did."

"…Oh."

Suddenly, Marco smiled. "I heard everything, and I feel the same way. I love you too, Star."

"…What?"

"I said, I love you too."

Was it him, or was Star grinning. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"I _said,_ I l—"

He was cut off when he felt a pair of soft lips press against his own. Marco's eyes widened a bit, but he slowly gave in. He gently wrapped his arms around Star as he kissed her back. The two each savored the moment, neither paid attention to the world around them. The passionate kiss lasted for a good long while, before they finally pulled away and stared into each other's eyes. Star was the first to break out as she punched Marco's shoulder. Hard.

" _OW!"_

"I'm not going to kiss you again unless you never do something stupid again!" the girl scolded angrily.

Marco looked at her like she was crazy, but then he suddenly smiled. Then it turned to a chuckle. Then Marco suddenly burst out laughing. "What?" Star asked, confused.

The boy tried to die his laughter down as he took Star by the waist again and pulled her close. Star was surprised, but gave in when Marco pressed his forehead against hers and smiled.

"Then I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."

Again, Star couldn't help it. She felt more tears fall down from her eyes and fall against Marco's bed. But these were tears of joy now. She and Marco laughed as they stayed in that position for a while, not wanting to ever leave each other's side.

* * *

Marco was able to check out of the hospital hours later. After many contract signings and one short 'We're Glad You're Awake' party, Star and the Diaz family had to remember tomorrow was a Monday. The night went by pretty quickly and soon, it was time to go to school.

The duo stood side by side as they looked at each other and smiled. "What do you think everyone's gonna say?" Marco asked nervously. Now without his visions, he was just the normal "safe kid" again. And frankly, he wasn't very excited of what everyone had to say about that.

But Star was there to cheer him up with a smile. "I'm sure they'll be glad you're back~" With that, the boy had to smile.

Star held her hand out, and Marco took it in his. The blonde squeezed it reassuringly, and Marco nodded briefly. Hand in hand, the two entered through school doors together.

What everyone actually wondered about the moment they came in was about the duo themselves. Some had gasped, most had whispered, but all of them were really just silently staring at the intertwined hands of Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz.

"Hey, Marco!" someone greeted.

"Glad you're back!"

"Good to see you awake!"

Star knew for a fact that these people didn't even care when he was asleep. They could care less if he was awake. But when she saw Marco thanking them all with a big smile on his face, she knew she couldn't just ruin this day for him. So she smiled sweetly as they made their way to class.

At the halls, Star was glad they then came up to some real friends. "Marco!" Ferguson cheered, arms wide. He took Marco and gave him a giant Ferguson hug, lifting the boy in the process.

"Agh, yeah! Hey guys!"

"You're finally up!" Alfonzo gasped, grinning as he patted his friend's back. "Good to have you back, buddy!"

Marco chuckled at his friends' antics. "Thanks guys. Good to _be_ back." He then stepped back and took Star's hand again, as if wanting her comfort.

The two boys noticed this and broke into wild grins. "You guys…" Ferguson started.

"Heh. Yeah. We are."

"That's great, you two!" Alfonzo said happily, putting his arms around the two's shoulders. "We're so happy for you!"

"Thank you, Alfonzo!" Star laughed.

Ferguson then came in and gave them another hug, lifting all three of them this time. "Oh, if only we could get ourselves girlfriends too!" he sighed.

Marco had to laugh. "Yeah, good luck with that, buddy! Also, could you put us down?"

"Right, right! You guys need your space. I understand that! We'll see you guys after school!"

"See ya~!" Star sang as they all left.

The duo finally arrived at their Math classroom and everyone turned to them. They all gasped when they saw Marco and gasped louder when they saw their hands again.

That boy Justin was the first to react. "Marco's back!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing to go greet him again and ask questions. Marco answered them all, until he suddenly saw a certain someone in the crowd. Once everyone got back to their seats, Jackie stepped forward.

"Hey, Marco," Jackie greeted awkwardly.

"Hi, Jackie," Marco greeted back.

"Hello, Star?" Star put in, all smiles.

Jackie chuckled. "Right. Hey, Star. Marco, I—"

"Whatever you have to say, Jackie, it's all right," The boy looked at his former girlfriend and smiled. "I heard everything. I forgive you."

Jackie first blinked at him, a little confused, but then she smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad you understand…and I'm glad you moved on." She nodded at Star and winked. The blonde chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "Treat her well."

"Oh, I don't think that's a problem." Marco grinned as he put an arm around Star's shoulders. The blonde only blushed slightly and smiled back.

Jackie laughed, understanding. "Awesome."

At that very moment, the bell rang and the grumpy troll teacher that was Ms. Skullnick barged right in. "Catch you guys later," Jackie whispered, as they all finally took their seats.

"So it's true, our star student is back," the troll grumbled. "Congratulations and all that, but now it's time for a pop quiz."

Everyone groaned loudly, but Star and Marco didn't. They just looked at each other reassuringly and smiled.

* * *

The school day came around and ended just as quickly as last night did. The two housemates walked back home and just started to relax in Star's room. Once they got there, Marco actually yawned.

"OK, school was _one_ thing I did _not_ miss the entire time I was asleep," he laughed.

Star giggled as well. "Now you know what _I_ dealt with the past three months!"

"I feel like I could do another round after today! But I'd miss you if I did."

"Awww!" Star walked up and sat down beside him on her bed and happily nuzzled against him. "That's sweet~"

"But I _did_ miss you, Star. Your voice is what got me to wake up, you know." He smiled at her. "I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you."

Star smiled. "Then I'm glad we're both OK." Marco leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's just too bad it took us _this_ long to realize our feelings for each other…"

"Well, you _did_ think you liked Jackie~"

"Oh, so you're saying you didn't like Oskar?"

"I wasn't as obsessed as you~"

"What?! That's not true!"

"Says the one who had the Dream Spider~"

"You would've been bitten if it didn't come to me first!"

"Shh, it's all in the past now~"

"Star—!"

The blonde cut him off by giving the brunette another kiss. Marco couldn't help melting into it. "OK, fine," he said after a while. "I was obsessed, you happy?"

Star laughed as Marco pulled her closer again. "At least we're together _now."_

At that very moment, they heard a crash. The two looked at each other, got off the bed, and went to the window. They were more than surprised when they saw Ludo and his goons down at Marco's backyard as usual.

" _Star Butterfly!"_ Ludo shrieked. "Don't go thinking you disposed of me! You may have beaten me last time! But I am _back!_ I will take your wand! _And I will destroy you and your friend!"_

"News flash, Ludo!" Star called back. "He's my _boyfriend_ now!"

"Ah, just like old times," Marco chuckled. The monsters started climbing up to Star's room and started shaking the building, hoping for it to fall down.

But even Star didn't care at the moment as she smiled at Marco awkwardly. "I know we're in this relationship now…but you're still up for backyard monster fighting, right?"

"Are you kidding? We'll never outgrow fighting monsters! Nothing's ever gonna change that!" Marco grinned and gave Star a quick peck. "Especially when times now are much better."

"Aww, Marco~"

"Love you, Star."

"Love you too!"

The building started to collapse and the monsters cheered as they watched it fall to the ground. Unfortunately for them, they spoke too soon.

" _H-YAH!"_

Suddenly, something came blasting out through the wall, and Star and Marco emerged from it with determined faces. The monsters growled, ready to fight.

" _NARWHAL BLAST!"_

They should've known for a fact that nothing could stop this duo now.

 _~The End~_


End file.
